With the first five races of the 2016 Formula 1 season done and dusted, the majority of teams remained behind at the Circuit de Catalunya for a two-day in-season test.
There is an old adage that nothing can be learned from keeping an eye on testing. However, the test allows the teams to fine-tune their challengers, smoothing out any issues and testing new parts before the traditional European leg of the season kicks off in earnest. As such, there were a few useful things to take note of during the test…
Toro Rosso: Testing cars, or drivers?
Like the vast majority of teams, Toro Rosso were eager to put their 2016 car through its paces around the Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday and Wednesday in order to unlock every last tenth of performance for the races to come. However, the Faenza-based squad may have been testing more than just new parts.
The rules of this year’s in-season tests state that half of the testing days have to be driven by a young driver with less than two Grand Prix starts. As such, in Spain, Toro Rosso opted to split the two days between regular driver Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly. The 20-year old Gasly is backed by Red Bull and is currently competing in GP2, leading the driver standings after two races. Some see the young Frenchman as the most likely candidate to receive a call-up to join Toro Rosso in the future, should a spot open up at the junior Red Bull team.
With Kvyat likely to leave Toro Rosso at the end of 2016, Toro Rosso may have been using the test as an experiment to measure Gasly’s performance against Kvyat’s, thus helping them to judge his readiness for a possible promotion to Formula 1. Of course, it is meaningless to look only at the respective lap times of the two drivers, since there is no way to be sure how much fuel either was carrying or what the team’s instructions to each driver were. However, having had both Kvyat and Gasly in the car for a full day will doubtlessly have added some useful information to Red Bull’s knowledge of their respective abilities.
No light at the end of the tunnel for Sauber
Sauber were the only of the eleven teams on the grid that chose not to participate in the test, with a lack of new parts to test the given reason for their planned absence. The reality of the situation, however, is likely to be more financial in nature.
It is no secret that Sauber are struggling financially, with team principal Monisha Kaltenborn missing the Russian Grand Prix as she was actively courting new sponsors to keep the Swiss team afloat. To make matters worse, Sauber’s 2016 challenger has proven to be uncompetitive, with the Sauber pair of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson narrowly managing to out-qualify their rivals at Manor at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The potential performance gains from the two-day test should not be underestimated, particularly since the teams were given only eight days of pre-season testing before the season kicked off. As such, Sauber are likely to find themselves falling even further behind their rivals in the coming races. Such an outcome would make it difficult for the Hinwill-based team to attract much-needed new sponsors, thus further deepening their crisis, both on and off the racing circuit.
Engine progress for Renault
After powering Red Bull to four consecutive Driver’s and Constructor’s titles from 2010 to 2013, Renault fell out of favour as an engine manufacturer due to their failure to produce a competitive hybrid power unit for 2014 and 2015. Red Bull, in particular, were very vocal about their disappointment with their engine partner, threatening to dissolve the once-successful partnership at the end of 2015 before ultimately opting to stay with the French manufacturer for 2016.
At the Barcelona test, Renault-powered teams were given the opportunity to test the manufacturer’s planned power unit upgrade, which will likely be introduced at the Canadian Grand Prix next month. After testing the new power unit on Tuesday, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was positive about the upgrade, while the Renault works team’s Esteban Ocon described the upgrade power unit as “very good”.
Such progress for Renault gives its customers reason for optimism, particularly Red Bull, who are considered to have a well-designed chassis that is only being held back by a lack of engine performance. While there may be some disappointment that the new Renault engine is unlikely to make its debut at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix, it should be noted that the tight and twisty nature of the street circuit would mean that the performance gain offered by a more powerful engine would be minor.
As such, Renault are better-served introducing their upgrade in Canada, which allows them an extra two weeks to iron out any small niggles before unleashing their new engine on a circuit where it can make a noticeable difference.
Future-proofing from Williams
Williams caused a slight stir in the paddock on Tuesday as they sent development driver Alex Lynn out onto the circuit with a double-decker rear wing that is illegal under the 2016 regulations. However, Williams may simply be gaining a bit of a head-start on their rivals.
The radical-looking rear wing, which visually seemed to be almost like two rear wings stacked on top of each other, was intended to help Williams simulate the anticipated higher downforce levels that Formula 1 cars will enjoy under the new sporting regulations that will come into force for 2017 and beyond.
Furthermore, the double-decker rear wing, while illegal for the current season, may provide Williams with some insight concerning generating rear downforce on their challenger, an area in which the Grove-based squad has trailed its rivals in 2016.
Such innovative and creative thinking is a welcome sight from a team that started the new hybrid era as the closest challenger to Mercedes in 2014, only to slip behind the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull by 2016.
A watershed moment for Force India in 2016?
Despite a strong finish to 2015, Force India have endured a more challenging time of things in the first few races of 2016, with their new VJM009 challenger struggling for performance. The team’s deputy team principal, Bob Fernley, made clear before the Spanish Grand Prix that the Silverstone-based squad would consider shifting its focus to preparing for the 2017 season if the updates that had been brought to Spain did not deliver as expected.
While Sergio Perez enjoyed a strong outing in which he qualified ninth and finished in seventh place, the two-day test will likely give the team more clarity on whether or not they can expect to extract much more performance from their car in the rest of the season. Of course, if Force India choose to shift their focus to 2017, the rest of the season will probably see them slowly slip towards the back of the midfield as other teams continue to develop their cars.
However, given that Force India have a relatively limited budget compared to some of their rivals, the early shift in focus may be necessary if they are to make the most out of the planned changed in regulations.
Adriaan Slabbert
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