FORMULA 1 - 2015

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'Patient' Alonso expected slow start

Fernando Alonso shrugged off McLaren's slow start in Jerez on Sunday, saying he has "no problems" being patient.

Having swapped Ferrari for McLaren after five frustrating seasons at Maranello, Alonso kicked off his second stint with the Woking-based squad on the first day of pre-season testing in the south of Spain.

However, as expected it was a stuttering start for the new McLaren-Honda as the MP4-30 completed only six laps on the opening day. In fact he only managed one timed lap of 1:40.738, which was more than 18s slower than that of pacesetter Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

The two-time World Champion, though, says he never expected to come out all guns blazing.

"My patience was proved for the past five years - I have no problems," Alonso is quoted as saying by ESPNF1. "More or less [the first day] went as expected. Obviously it's a slow start as we knew. We saw last year how difficult it was for other teams to complete laps, especially in the first couple of days - even Red Bull did something like ten laps [last year] or something like that.

"It's complex technology we have in Formula One today and we need time and need to learn a lot of things in the car because we start gaining mileage. The car design is also quite extreme, quite aggressive and innovative so definitely we have something to discover there slowly."

Alonso will make way for team-mate Jenson Button on Monday before getting another chance in the MP4-30 again on Tuesday, and he's hoping to spend more time on the track.

"I would like to do more laps, that's for sure, because after two months waiting for the first test six laps is not enough but we are all happy and excited inside the garage," he said.

"We had an amazing atmosphere today, during the first lap especially, the comeback of McLaren-Honda after 22 years and I felt so privileged and honoured to be the man to do the first lap. There are a lot of things to work but I believe so much in the project and I'm so, so happy to be sat here. We have a lot of things to do but with a positive approach."

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Hamilton out to win, not defend

Lewis Hamilton is adamant his focus for this season is not to defend the World title but rather to win it.

Last season the British racer claimed 11 grand prix wins - six in the last seven races alone - on his way to a second World title.

It was the perfect end to a phenomenal season for Mercedes, who also wrapped up the Constructors' titles, winning 16 of the 19 races.

The success means Mercedes head into this year's Championship as the ones to beat, however, Hamilton insists there is no more pressure on their shoulders than there has been in previous seasons.

"The pressure is the same as it is ever year," he said.

"I want to win and don't feel that there is any more expectation than there is in any other season. It's as high as it can be in every season.

"Of course when you are the number one team you become more of a target but we will approach it the same as we did last year.

"We want to win, we are not arriving thinking we are World Champions and want to defend it, we want to win it."

As for his own title as reigning World Champion, the Brit said: "I have to constantly pinch myself, it's quite surreal.

"But you can never let yourself get too excited or carried away with it because then you believe your own hype.

"I want to win again. I'm just as hungry as I was when I started."

This year, though, Mercedes could face more of a challenge than they did in 2014.

With rivals - as well as Mercedes - able to upgrade their power units throughout the campaign many are expecting a bit more of a fight.

Hamilton agrees as he expects Red Bull and Williams to challenge while Ferrari and McLaren could also surprise.

He said: "Red Bull always have a good car. Williams were strong last year, they have our engine so you have to anticipate they'll be quite quick.

"Ferrari is a huge unknown. They haven't really done much in the last couple of years, or last year at least.

"It can't get any worse for them, it can only get better so they'll be pushing hard to get closer and the same really for McLaren. They'll also be working hard to get close."

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2015 Formula 1 testing day one in pictures:

Pictures from the first day of F1 testing at Jerez.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, Circuito de Jerez, Testing, 2015

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, Circuito de Jerez, Testing, 2015

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Circuito de Jerez, Testing, 2015

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, Circuito de Jerez, Testing, 2015

Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Jerez, 2015

Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, Susie Wolff and Alex Lynn with the new Williams FW37 Mercedes in the pits.

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, Circuito de Jerez, Testing, 2015

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McLaren struggles with electrical issues, Boullier explains

Eric Boullier is confident that the gremlins are fixable, possibly even by tomorrow.

McLaren and Honda had a difficult first day with the MP4-30 in Jerez today, as Fernando Alonso logged only six laps – and did not do a representative time.

As at the Abu Dhabi test with the interim car last year Honda spent the day chasing electrical gremlins, mainly relating to a sensor.

Electricial issues

“We have been quite extreme let's say in packaging our car,” said the Frenchman. “And every technical solution which we brought to the car is something which we believe will help us to close the gap quite quickly with Mercedes. Being ambitious or brave doesn't mean that we can be reliable. Obviously we are struggling with a few electrical issues, which are quite difficult again to fix.

“I think they are fixable, they could be fixed by tomorrow, but we may end up with some other issues somewhere else. I want to be a little but cautious on this because every time we try to fix one we open up something else further. We will get on top of this, I don't know when, but obviously as soon as possible.”

Problems inevitable, but fixable

Boullier said it was inevitable that there would be problems, despite some issues having cropped up already in Abu Dhabi.

“Simulation, dynos, whatever you want, you need the track to get the package all together and to work together. We have the car here, the 2015 car, and obviously you have to go through again some pain and some glitches to allow us to run. We obviously don't want to take any risks either, because if you blow up the engine you can face something damaging the car and you can lose more time. We have only 12 days. We would have loved to run more today, but we have to go step-by-step.”

Regarding the car's potential he said: “When we do more laps I will tell you, but based on simulation at least better than the end of last year.”

MIKA - BONUS: McLaren Honda sound testing at Jerez

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Vettel: "To sum it up, Ferrari is something special"

Ending the day at the top of the charts didn't seem to matter to Sebastian Vettel, but the new addition to the Ferrari ranks is happy with the car.

Sebastian Vettel ended his first real day driving for Ferrari in a familiar spot. The top spot.

While even he admits that testing times at this point don't matter too much, he is happy with his first day in the SF15-T.

"This was the first proper day, especially with the new car. In the end we can be happy that we did a decent amount of laps," Vettel said.

"The first impression was quote good, obviously it's quite difficult to say, but for day 1 we can be reasonably happy."

Something special

Having previously admitted that he had 'dreamed' of driving for Ferrari, with his first day now behind him, Vettel continued to gush about Formula One's oldest team.

"To sum it up, Ferrari is something special," he said.

"I used the time duirng the winter to go to Maranello a couple of times and what I have seen is really impressive. The potential is huge, and there is a lot to do, but this is a big time of change...Motivation is high, not only with me, but with the team."

Logging laps

One surprise of the day was reigning World Champion constructors Mercedes, who brough their 2015 car and completed a blistering 157 laps in total on the first day of testig. Vettel said he places a high value on logging laps in testing.

"Lap times are not that important in the end, it's the number of laps," Vettel said.

"They are proving they are starting off with a very reliable car, hopefully not as quick as us, I think that is what everybody is hoping for. We have to give them fair credit, they have done a good job."

MIKA: I love the Helmet

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Alonso: "Six laps is not enough"

Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished his first day on the job with McLaren-Honda, but completing only six laps was not the debut they were hoping for.

As we saw last season, the implementation of a new power unit can be really painful early in testing. Red Bull and their 2014 Renault power unit burped and popped on its first dismal day one year ago.

Fernando Alonso, who made the move from Ferrari over to the revitalized McLaren-Honda outfit, said it was expected to have difficult first day.

"It's a slow start, as we knew. We saw last year how difficult it is for teams to complete laps especial the first couple of days," said Alonso.

"It’s complex technology what we have in these Formula One cars today. We need time, we have to learn a lot of things in the car because we (have to) start to put mileage on."

"I would like to do more laps, for sure, after a long wait of 2 months waiting for the first day of testing, six laps not enough."

McLaren-Honda - back after 22 years

McLaren and Honda, who are best known to have built one of the most successful F1 cars to date, the MP4/4 in 1988, winning 15 of 16 events, are back together after 22 years, and Alonso said he is excited to be a part of the project.

"We are happy and exited inside the garage. We had an amazing atmosphere today doing the first lap, especially with the comeback of Mclaren-Honda after 22 years. I felt so privileged and so honoured to be the man on the car do the first lap today," Alonso said.

"I beleive so much in the project."

Alonso added that he remembers watching the news reports of Ayrton Senna's fight for the title when he was competing with McLaren in the 80s.

"I had a lot of replica cars that my parents presented to me, I had a photo in my room of Ayrton in the McLaren, that is what I remember of that time."

Mercedes have the upper hand

According to Alonso, Mercedes have an advantage simply from coming off a World Championship season and that was demonstrated today not by speed but my laps competed.

"The team that dominated last year winning almost all the races, today they were so fast and did 150 laps, definitely they have an advantage of performance and everything this year, at least to start he season. It's normal. They have the continuation of a dominant car," Alonso said.

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Williams will make another step, says Sir Frank

Team pins hopes on Mercedes-powered FW37 to take the fight to Merc's works team.

Sir Frank Williams is confident that his team has now got all the pieces in place to make another step forward in 2015.

The team finished third in last year's championship, and was often the closest challenger to the Mercedes works team.

“After such a strong season in 2014 we are looking to continue the move back towards the front of the grid,” said Williams. “The move from ninth to third was a tough challenge, but ultimately every step up from now on will be even harder. I am confident that we have the appropriate personnel and talent in this team to make those steps.

“We have an experienced driver line-up, with both drivers finishing on the podium throughout last year and hungry for more success in 2015, new commercial partners to add to the continued support from our already impressive roster, and have a technical team that is amongst the best on the grid.

“I am looking forward to seeing the car in testing and assessing how other teams have fared over the winter in comparison to us. We should, once again, have a very exciting season ahead of us which will hopefully bring more success to Williams.”

Daughter Claire also upbeat on chances

Meanwhile his daughter, Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, added: “The team learnt and developed a lot in 2014 and this has made us a better team and well prepared for the challenges that face us as we head into a new season. We are all eager to see where we are in comparison to our rivals.

"We have worked hard over the past six months to get this car ready, but it is in no way the final product, we have a lot of work to do throughout the season as we push for constant improvements in performance.”

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Sauber perform a successful roll-out program at Jerez

Marcus Ericsson was able to complete 73 mainly trouble-free laps.

The Sauber F1 Team enjoyed a successful roll-out of the Sauber C34-Ferrari in Jerez. At exactly 09.00 hours Marcus Ericsson took to the track for the very first time. The car worked fine right from the beginning, and Marcus was able to complete 73 mainly trouble-free laps.

Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera / 4.428 km

Driver: Marcus Ericsson

Weather: Sunny and dry, air 6° – 14 °C, track 6° – 19 °C

Chassis / engine: Sauber C34-01 / Ferrari

Laps today: 73 laps, 323 km

Fastest lap: 1:22.777 min

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Today we started with a normal roll-out programme with some functionality checks, which we were able to cut to the mimum, because the car was working well from the beginning. We had some longer breaks, just to do some thorough checks on the car. In the afternoon we went a bit deeper in by exploring the balance and checking some different tyre compounds. Towards the end we did some longer runs. We are happy that the car is working, and, compared to last year, we can see the improvements. Overall it was definitely a positive day.”

Marcus Ericsson: “It was a very good day. First of all it was great to be back in the car after the winter break. I think we have good reasons to be happy. We were able to complete a lot of laps, and we went through quite a few different small tweeks on the set-up and did all the installations needed. There were no major problems with the car, which was really the main thing. Overall it’s been a good day, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week. I hope we can continue like this.”

What comes next: Tomorrow and on Tuesday, Felipe Nasr will be behind the wheel of the Sauber C34-Ferrari.

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Toro Rosso stop early to ensure to be ready for tomorrow

2015 track action began today with the first official test of the year in southern Spain. Scuderia Toro Rosso, with Carlos Sainz at the wheel, shared the Jerez de la Frontera track with six other teams, running in dry and relatively cool conditions.

Phil Charles (Chief Race Engineer): “As usual when running a new car for the first time, our programme centred mainly on systems checks and ensuring that everything was running smoothly. Inevitably, we had some teething troubles although nothing major, but it did mean we had something of a stop-start day. Carlos settled in well and we managed to do some set-up work, as we aimed to improve the balance on the new STR10. An issue at the end of the day saw the car stop on track and, with not much time left until the chequered flag, we decided it was better to stop running early to ensure we are completely ready for tomorrow, when Max Verstappen will be in the cockpit.”

Carlos Sainz (Car 55): “We can take many positives away from today, our first proper run with the STR10, even if we managed a short run during an earlier filming day. We worked well together as a team and managed to complete a reasonable number of laps. That has given us plenty of data to look at tonight to help prepare the car for tomorrow, when Max is driving. I felt good in the car today, I was constantly improving, lap after lap. We did some adjustments and I think we have a good starting baseline.”

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Jerez F1 testing: Honda says McLaren engine problems fixed

Honda believes it has already fixed the problems that limited Fernando Alonso and McLaren to just six laps on the first day of Formula 1 testing at Jerez on Sunday.

Alonso ended up bottom of the timesheets in Spain thanks to electrical and control systems problems with the MP4-30's Honda engine.

With pacesetter Sebastian Vettel ending the day 18 seconds faster after completing 60 laps for Ferrari, the extent of the work McLaren must do before the start of the season was clear.

But Honda is unperturbed by the opening day reliability problems, and says fixes it has planned should lead to a better showing on Monday.

Its motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai said: "I cannot say the detail but there was small electrical trouble and also some control trouble, but not so big.

"We have already fixed it. We have found out what has happened, and tonight we change something and tomorrow will be much better."

Arai clarified that the issues encountered at Jerez were completely different to those suffered in Abu Dhabi testing last year.

"In Abu Dhabi we had many communication troubles, but that was already fixed before this test," he said.

"We have found out new issues today because the car is completely new.

"We have to learn very carefully step-by-step, so we can imagine what happened today."

ALONSO NOT SURPRISED BY STRUGGLE

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt the Honda challenge was going to be greater than he originally anticipated, Alonso said: "I think it more or less went as expected.

"Obviously it was a slow start, as we knew it would be. We saw last year how difficult it was for all the teams to complete laps, especially in the first couple of days.

"Even Red Bull was only doing 10 laps, or something like that, all winter.

"It's definitely complex technology that we have in Formula 1 cars today and we need time.

"We have to learn a lot of things in the car as we start putting mileage on.

"Also the car design is quite extreme, quite aggressive and quite innovative, so we definitely have something to discover there.

"I would like to do more laps, that's for sure, because after a long wait of two months for testing, six laps is not enough.

"But we are all happy, all excited and we had an amazing atmosphere inside the garage today for the comeback of McLaren-Honda after 22 years.

"I felt so honoured and so privileged to be the man in the car today.

"There are a lot of things to work on, but I believe so much in the project and I'm so, so happy to be sitting here."

[NaFFe]

Loving the red bull look. The honda sounded really lumpy but good, i like it.

[MIKA27]

McLaren Formula 1 team plans new livery - but only for sponsors

McLaren will change the livery of its Formula 1 car, says chief Ron Dennis, but only when big sponsors come in to justify the switch.

The silver, black and red colour scheme that features on the new Honda-powered MP4-30 has been met with a lukewarm reaction from fans - who have complained that it is not enough of a departure from the team's Mercedes days.

Speaking about the matter on the opening day of pre-season testing at Jerez, Dennis explained that he was not willing to embrace a bold change of colours simply for the sake of it.

"We have had the same [discussions about livery] inside the team: all of these people were saying, why don't we make it orange - because that was the old colour of McLaren?" he said.

"Well, I say, 'you just said it - it was the old colour of McLaren. Why the hell do we want to go backwards?'

"So what do you do? Do you create an aesthetically pleasing design? But for what purpose?

"This is the livery of McLaren. It has always been a combination of these colours - and it will only change for commercial reasons.

"It won't change just to make a few people in the company happier because they want it orange or they want it yellow."

Dennis said he fully understood the complaints about the colours, but reckoned in the longer term it will result in a better situation when big sponsors come on board.

"It will be far more recognised if we suddenly come out with a lime green car for the following reason: you will all know that we have a great deal of money coming in. So why would you react to Twitter [complaints]?" he said.

"Yes we could change colour. Yes we could do something more daring. Yes we could do all these things. But give me a reason why?

"If it is just to make something more aesthetically pleasing, that is not enough reason for me.

"Don't worry - it will change. But I will not say when."

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Mercedes makes its best start yet - Toto Wolff

Mercedes' Toto Wolff says he is trying to avoid over-confidence, but that his team's first day of 2015 Formula 1 testing at Jerez was the best start he has experienced.

Nico Rosberg completed 157 laps - 84 more than any of Mercedes' rivals - on the way to the third-fastest time on Sunday.

Asked if he could have predicted such a high mileage tally, Wolff joked: "You've discovered our secret project: it's Le Mans, we're doing endurance testing.

"No, I don't want to sound arrogant or over-confident. We need to stay humble.

"It was a really good first day. For me it was the best one I've seen in terms of mileage and reliability.

"We didn't push the limits in terms of the car and its systems.

"But for a first day we were very solid. Nico says it's one of the best first days he's had.

"Does it mean a lot? No. But it's better to have a good first day than a bad one."

Rosberg also urged against over-confidence despite Mercedes' strong performance.

"Are we ahead of the game? No. But we got off to a good start for ourselves," he said.

"Not comparing with anyone else, because it's not possible to compare at the moment.

"We can only judge in terms of what we wanted to achieve today, and we managed to achieve that.

"The laps that we wanted to do, the pitstop practice at the end, for us it was a good start."

The 2014 F1 runner-up added that the new W06 felt promising in its handling as well as its reliability.

"I can just say that I have a good feeling," said Rosberg.

"There is no reason for it, there are no numbers for it, it's just a feeling.

"It's been reliable, no major problems, and the car balance feels more or less decent.

"Of course it's not perfect, and there's still some work to do, and I look forward to that work, starting tonight."

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Sebastian Vettel: Mercedes' F1 reliability better than my laptime

Sebastian Vettel believes completing more laps than he managed in his first official Formula 1 test for Ferrari would have been better than setting the fastest time.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion set the pace on the first day of pre-season testing at Jerez on Sunday, but lost a large chunk of running to a telemetry problem with the SF15-T.

Although Vettel ended up nearly half a second quicker than Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, he suggested the fact Rosberg clocked up nearly 100 more laps than Ferrari was a greater achievement.

"I think laptimes are not that important in the end - it's the amount of laps [that counts]," Vettel said.

"Surely it's better to be closer to the front rather than a long way behind, but I think in terms of laps there's still a lot of improvement we can do.

"The reference is still Mercedes, they did 150-200 laps today, so they've proven they start off with a very reliable car - hopefully not as quick as last year.

"I think that's what everyone is hoping for, but you have to give fair credit to them - they're doing a very good job.

"It will be a surprise if they're not as strong as they were last year."

Despite the telemetry problem that limited his running, Vettel said he was pleased with progress in his first official test with the Scuderia.

"It would have been nice to do more laps but overall I think we can be quite happy," he added.

"The first impression was quite good.

"Obviously it's difficult to say at this stage, but for day one I think we can be reasonably happy."

[MIKA27]

Loving the red bull look. The honda sounded really lumpy but good, i like it.

Red Bull looks great, pity it's just for testing... The new Toro Rosso IMO looks the best out of all the cars.

Welcome to the forum and the F1 thread by the way

[NaFFe]

yea i gathered that. thanks have posts before

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JEREZ DAY 2: VETTEL AND FERRARI KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM

Sebastian Vettel kept Ferrari at the top of the timesheets in Jerez today, lowering his day one benchmark by almost two seconds and logging more than 80 laps as Ferrari continued to look strong on day of pre-season testing ahead of the 2015 Formula One campaign.

Vettel was fast out of the blocks, setting a test best time of 1:21.926 an hour into the session to climb to the top of the top of the timesheet. And there he stayed. The German continued to improve and soon after posted a lap of 1:20.984, which would remain the day’s fastest time.

For a second day running next best on the time sheet went to the Ferrari powered Sauber with rookie Felipe Nasr getting to within nine tenths of Vettel’s benchmark. The Brazilian driver also competed 88 laps for the Swiss outfit

After a slow start to the first morning of testing yesterday Williams were on track early on day two and after posting 73 laps on Sunday afternoon Valtteri Bottas added another 61 to his tally on day two, ending the day with the third fastest time, a lap of 1:22.319.

On day one of the test Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg reminded rivals of just why Mercedes are still the team to beat by delivering 157 trouble free laps of the Curcuit de Jerez. Lewis Hamilton didn’t get near that total as an afternoon water leak on his car cut short his running, but his 91 laps still represented the day’s largest total. He finished the session in fourth spot with a time of 1:22.490, 1.5s adrift of Vettel’s best time.

At Toro Rosso, 17-year-old Max Verstappen took from Carlos Sainz Jr at the wheel of the STR10 and Formula One’s youngest driver logged a decent total of 73 laps to finish fifth on the timesheet.

After missing the first day due to the late arrival of its new car, Lotus completed the build of the E23 overnight and after a cautious start Pastor Maldonado was able to complete 41 laps, the Venezuelan running progressively faster throughout the day. A drive-train issue in the afternoon ending his outing, however.

He was followed on the timesheet by McLaren’s Jenson Button who matched team-mate Fernando Alonso’s day one total of six laps. With the team still exploring the functionality of its Honda power unit, Button only managed one tikmed lap, some 33 seconds off the pace.

After a solid start yesterday, Red Bull Racing hit problems early on day two. New recruit Daniil Kvyat suffered a minor off right at the start of the team’s running and damaged the front wing of his RB11. With no replacement wing at the circuit the team was restricted to single-lap untimed runs as they worked through systems checks. Kvyat put in 18 slow laps all day and failed to set a time.

A late rain shower disrupted the final half an hour of the session and only Verstappen, Vettel, Nasr and Button tested the wet conditions before the session ended.

Testing continues for a third day, on Tuesday at Jerez.

Monday Day 2 – Jerez Testing Times

1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1m 20.984s, 88 laps
2. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1m 21.867s, 89 laps
3. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 22.319s, 61 laps
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m 22.490s, 91 laps
5. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 24.167s, 73 laps
6. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1m 25.802s, 41 laps
7. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1m 54.655s, 6 laps
8. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, No time, 18 laps

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BOTTAS: A STEP UP FROM THE CAR WE HAD LAST SEASON

The 2015 Williams Formula 1 car is a step up from the one that took the team to third place overall last year, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas said on Sunday after the start of pre-season testing.

Bottas completed 73 laps of the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, after an initial delay caused by some parts arriving late, and the Finn said the day had gone well.

“We didn’t have a single issue with the FW37, which is impressive for the first day with a new car,” he said.

“The car was consistent, so it’s a really good start to the week and we are pleased that it’s still a step up from the car we had at the end of last season.

“There are a lot of strengths in this car and we’ve made good progress in just one day, so I am very pleased.”

Mercedes-powered Williams are targeting wins this season after returning to the top three and finishing ahead of Ferrari in 2014.

Bottas expected the car to improve “massively” over the course of testing and the season, which starts in Australia on March 15.

“The car was already good last year but it feels better already,” he told reporters.

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LOTUS GET OUT ON TRACK AND IMPRESS WITH NEAT E23

After missing the opening day of running, Lotus got its new E23 out on track on Monday with Pastor Maldonado at the wheel, a day earlier than originally expected.

Insiders were impressed with the front of the black and gold car, featuring a Mercedes-like ultra-short nose that is tipped to be widely copied by rivals in 2015.

Another new car with an impressively short nose this year is the Williams.

“It is definitely the shortest nose Williams has ever built,” said technical boss Pat Symonds.

Auto Motor und Sport said the Grove team made no fewer than four attempts to pass internal crash tests with the short nose, ultimately settling for the current version with the conspicuous bulge at the tip.

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KVYAT CLIPS WALL AND DRIVES WITH NO FRONT WING

Daniil Kvyat broke the front wing of the Red Bull RB11 during his stint in the cockpit when he made contact with a barrier exiting Turn 2, putting a dampner on his debut as a Red Bull driver.

The team nevertheless sent him out without front wing so as not to interrupt the test programme while they wait for a new front wing to be flown in from Milton Keynes.

Team principal Christian Horner explained, “Dany had a very slight off on an install lap this morning, on cold track. He was just changing something on the steering wheel between Turns Two and Three very lightly touched the tyre wall with the front wing. That’s damaged the front wing.”

“It’s the only front wing assembly that we have in Jerez at the moment, which is relatively usual for when you’re not abundant with spare parts. That’s why we’re running without the main plane at the moment. Obviously more components coming down later this afternoon and this evening and during the next few days.”

“What I should really be telling you is that we have so much front downforce we don’t need the front wing, and we’re just trying to balance the car,” added Horner with a smile.

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FORCE INDIA MAY MISS MELBOURNE F1 SEASON OPENER

Reports about the health and even survival of the Force India team are continuing to worsen, exacerbated by the Silverstone based squad not fully explained its absence from the Jerez test this week.

On social media, German driver Nico Hulkenberg posted a photo of himself training in the snow, remarking: “If I can’t be at Jerez I’m getting myself into shape at 3000 m.”

And on Sunday, as his rivals pounded around Jerez, he posted another photo of himself watching the tennis on television.

Ralf Bach, a correspondent for Sport Bild and TZ Munchen who now writes on his own blog f1-insider.com, said he has learned that Force India’s Jerez absence is “because it has no monocoque” for the new VJM08 car.

He said Force India has not been delivered the 2015 monocoque by carbon supplier EOM “because bills have not been paid”.

Bach claims Force India’s overall debts are in the order of 50 million euros, including engine and tyre suppliers Mercedes and Pirelli.

“Making the season opener in Melbourne is now virtually impossible,” Bach quoted a team source as saying.

MIKA: If this is true, that's terrible news!

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KOBAYASHI TO KEEP RACING CAREER ALIVE IN JAPAN

Formula 1 fan favourite Kamui Kobayashi has kept his motor racing career alive for 2015 by returning to the premier single seater series in Japan.

The popular Japanese raced last year with Caterham, and although the ailing backmarker’s administrators have not given up, the team is not at Jerez for the first test of the new season.

Kobayashi, 28, tested late last year for his native Japan’s premier open wheeler category Super Formula, and reports have emerged that he has subsequent signed for Toyota.

Kobayashi’s F1 career began with the Japanese marque, initially as a test driver in 2008 and 2009, before he signed full-time for Sauber in 2010.

He confirmed on Facebook: “I join Super Formula series for 2015. Happy to race back home after 12 years in Europe.”

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Hamilton: Testing positions irrelevant

Outpaced by Ferrari in Monday's running at Jerez, Lewis Hamilton is adamant positions are "really irrelevant" at this stage of the year.

The double World Champion had his first day in the W06 on Monday, replacing Nico Rosberg for Day Two at the Spanish track.

However, unlike when his team-mate was behind the wheel, it was not all smooth running.

A water leak, the result of a "failed part", cut short Hamilton's day, limiting him to 91 laps compared to Rosberg's 157.

He was also unable to launch an attack on the timesheets, finishing fourth fastest with 1:22.490, which put him 1.506s behind pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton, though, isn't at all fazed by the deficit to the Ferrari driver.

"Today we were just driving around and weren’t trying to do fast laps or anything," he told Sky Sports News.

"I’m sure that [how different the W06 is] perhaps will become more evident when we put the car on the limit.

"Through testing everyone is using different fuel loads so it’s really irrelevant what position you are. What’s important is reliability and to prove out the car."

And despite the issues on Monday, the reigning World Champ says he is happy with Mercedes' latest design, the W06.

"It was good. It’s great to see in the first two days we’ve had such good running and such good reliability.

"That’s a really good step for the first two days and we’re going to continue to work on that, naturally that’s the foundation we want to improve on.

“The car feels good. I can’t really say too much more about it yet. We’ve just been driving around, which is not the most exciting part of testing that’s for sure."

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Force India refute Aus GP rumours

Force India insist they will contest the season-opening Australian GP despite rumours to the contrary.

Having failed to make their way to Jerez for the first pre-season test, there has been speculation Force India are in financial difficulty.

This was compounded by a report in Germany that claimed the team did not yet have a 2015 monocoque from supplier EOM as the "bills have not been paid."

The report went on to state that making the season-opener in Australia was now "virtually impossible" for Force India.

The team, though, has refuted this.

"We will definitely be in Melbourne and are still planning to test in Barcelona," a Force India spokesperson told Sky Sports News HQ.

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Red Bull promise 'even stronger' livery

If you are one those fans who have enjoyed what Red Bull have done with their testing livery, then you will no doubt be glad to hear they plan do something "even stronger" when the season gets underway.

The four-time World Champions unveiled a radical black and white camouflage livery ahead of the first pre-season test in Jerez on Sunday.

Team principal Christian Horner has revealed that Sebastian Vettel's helmet for the 2014 Italian Grand Prix inspired the livery and they hope the design will also confuse their rivals.

"The camouflage livery came out of a helmet Sebastian ran last year [at Monza] that was quite fun," he said. "We thought it would be interesting to extend that concept to the rest of the car. Dietrich [Mateschitz, Red Bull boss] liked it when he saw it, and it epitomises Red Bull really that we like to do things a bit differently.

"To see a Red Bull in a different livery is quite striking and it also makes it quite difficult to get detailed photographs of the car at a time of year when we're all trying to be as secretive as we possibly can.

"It's difficult to get detailed shots of the car because it confuses your eyeline, but it obviously had a great reaction."

Horner promises those who liked the camouflage won't be disappointed when they eventually unveil their livery for the 2015 season.

"They won't be disappointed because the livery will be even stronger. It's great to do something different, it's been extremely well received."