FORMULA 1 - 2016

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RENAULT: THE CAR PROVIDES A GREAT BASELINE TO WORK FORWARDS

Renault Sport Formula One Team completed its second day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Jolyon Palmer at the wheel of the R.S.16. Jolyon completed 42 laps with a best time of 1:26.189secs.

Jolyon Palmer: “The positives from today are immediately apparent. We were able to run a good programme in the morning, covering a lot of what we wanted to do. The car feels good and forgiving and provides a great baseline for us to work forwards. Unfortunately we did stop running early in the afternoon, but my overall analysis of today is most certainly positive.”

Remi Taffin, Engine Technical Director: “After steps overnight from both factories to work around yesterday’s software issues, we ran a positive programme this morning where we were able to collect data on the chassis and power unit side. In the afternoon we experienced an early power unit component failure which ended our running. We were able to diagnose the issue easily as it was an area we knew there could be a weakness and we will have a solution in hand.”

What’s Next?

Kevin Magnussen will make his Renault Sport Formula One Team debut behind the wheel of the R.S.16 for the first of two days’ testing.

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RED BULL: SO FAR, SO GOOD

Red Bull report from day two of the first Formula 1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain.

• Driver: Daniel Ricciardo
• Car: RB12
• Laps: 112
• Best time: 1:23.525
• Circuit length: 4.655km
• Fastest Lap: S. Vettel (1:22.810)

Daniel Ricciardo’s second day at the wheel of the new Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer RB12 saw the Australian post more than a century of laps on his way to the day’s second fastest time. Daniel’s best time, a lap of 1:23.525, was set on the new ultra-soft Pirelli tyre compound just before the lunch break and after a morning of short runs Daniel moved to longer stints in the afternoon.

Commenting on his final day in the RB12 at this week’s test Daniel said: “It was a good day. We did pretty much every run on our schedule and run plans are always pretty optimistic so I think we’ll take that today. We put in over 100 laps and we ran pretty faultlessly. It was good for me to get a lot more laps. We also tried a few compounds, which maybe is not so relevant at this time of year but it was good to try them anyways. So, for me, a positive two days; you can’t ask for too much more. I’m looking forward to next week’s test now – I’ll have just two more days and then it’s Melbourne. I’m just excited to roll it over now and to get to Australia.”

Head of Race Engineering, Guillaume Rocquelin added: “We had a small technical concern this afternoon and just as a precautionary measure we decided to stop running a little bit early. We had a very productive day otherwise, with Daniel getting through more than 100 laps. In the morning we focused on short runs and doing some tyre work. You have to remember that because of the short amount of time behind the wheel each driver gets, Daniel is now effectively halfway to Melbourne, so he needs to get up to speed pretty quickly. Also, while it probably isn’t the ideal venue or time of year to be looking at some of those compounds it’s really the only chance we’ll get for the foreseeable future, so it’s good to get as much data as we can. The afternoon saw us move back to long runs and just as yesterday we got through a lot of work. So far, so good and tomorrow we’ll hopefully get through more.”

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SAUBER: IT WAS ANOTHER POSITIVE DAY

Sauber report from the second day of the first Formula 1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain.

• Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya / 4.655 km
• Driver: Marcus Ericsson
• Weather: Morning: sunny and dry, afternoon: sunny and dry; air 10° – 20°C, track 10° – 22°C
• Chassis / engine: Sauber C34-04 / Ferrari
• Laps today: 108 laps, 502.740 km
• Fastest lap: 1:25.237 min (P5, soft tyres)

Programme: set-up work, tyre work and aero measurements

Marcus Ericsson: “It was another positive day. I was able to get a lot of laps under my belt. We got through the planned programme, which was a continuation of yesterday. In the morning it was mainly about aero measurements, which is not the most fun for the driver, but very important for the team. Later on in the afternoon we again tested different set-up options. I am pleased with my first two days of testing this season. Now I am looking forward to driving the C35 next week.”

What comes next: Wednesday and on Thursday, Felipe Nasr will drive the Sauber C34-Ferrari.

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F1 approves new qualifying for 2016

The Canadian Press

Formula One, The Canadian Press

MADRID - Formula One may have a new qualifying system for the upcoming season, with drivers being eliminated every few minutes.

The proposal was unanimously approved in a meeting between series stakeholders in Geneva, governing body FIA said on Wednesday.

The new system will be evaluated for introduction at the first grand prix of the year in Australia on March 20. A final vote is expected next week by FIA's World Motor Sport Council.

Teams, promoters, and FIA also approved "new measures designed to deliver a faster, more spectacular" F1 championship in 2017. New bodywork regulations have been adopted to create "more exciting cars."

The F1 commission also confirmed the intention of introducing "some form of cockpit protection" next season, hoping to avoid head injuries such as the ones that killed IndyCar driver Justin Wilson and F1 driver Jules Bianchi.

"All stakeholders are working together to make this a reality, with the 'halo' concept currently the preferred option," FIA said in a statement. "Other options, such as transparent cockpit protection, will continue to be evaluated."

The new qualifying system would have three separate sessions, like now, but instead of having the slowest drivers eliminated at the end of each session, they would be dropped one by one every minute-and-a-half.

All cars would have seven minutes to set their times in the beginning of the session, and seven drivers would be eliminated.

Another seven drivers would be eliminated in the second session after having six minutes to set their times, one by one again, and the final eight would advance.

In the final session, drivers would have five minutes to set their times before the 90-second elimination begins, until two cars are left for the final minute-and-a-half duel.

"It is a strange idea, as I don't see it will make a massive difference," rookie British driver Jolyon Palmer said. "I didn't see qualifying as an issue."

Currently, the slowest six cars are eliminated in each of the first two sessions, and the remaining 10 participate in a final shootout for the pole position.

The stakeholders also adopted measures to improve racing and try to make F1 more attractive to fans and television audiences. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said this week in an interview with the Daily Mail in England that the series "is the worst it has ever been," and he "wouldn't spend money to take (his) family to watch a race."

The cars and the tires will be wider, carrying more downforce and better grip. It's estimated the 2017 cars can be up to three seconds faster than the current ones.

The changes still need to be formalized and ratified by the World Motor Sport Council by April 30. The stakeholders agreed to postpone the original deadline of March 1 to give all parties "the best opportunity to complete all relevant work."

The deadline extension should give more time for studies on a closed cockpit so it can be somehow implemented in time for the 2017 season.

"I just don't like it," Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg said during preseason testing in Barcelona. "Single-seat racing was always open, and I'd like to see it remain open."

The "halo" concept would add protection surrounding the driver's head, without completely closing the cockpit.

"I'm open to it," Sauber driver Felipe Nasr said. "If it's really something that will improve our safety and without affecting drivability, I'm open to it, and don't see a problem implementing this in F1."

The stakeholders also discussed topics related to the cars' power units, including the possibility of "further improvement of noise." Regulation changes were supposed to make cars louder this year but the effects fell short of most expectations.

The F1 commission said it also agreed to introduce an award for driver of the day to engage fans more. Viewers will be encouraged to vote online, and the winning driver will be announced as part of the race broadcast immediately after the race.

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BRACELONA DAY 3: HULKENBERG QUICKEST AS FERRARI HIT TROUBLE

Nico Hulkenberg posted the fastest time by nearly three seconds for Force India on the third day of pre-season testing in Barcelona as Formula 1’s traditional powerhouses took a back seat on Wednesday.

The German posted the second fastest time of the week of 1: 23.110 on Super-soft Pirelli tyres, just three tenths of a second down on Sebastian Vettel’s best effort in the Ferrari on the even faster Ultra-soft tyres a day earlier.

Romain Grosjean was second fastest for Formula 1 newcomers Haas, whilst Kimi Raikkonen recovered from a frustrating morning for Ferrari due to a fuel system problem to record the third best time of the day.

After two frustrating days with Jolyon Palmer in the cockpit, Renault finally had a good day albeit with Kevin Magnussen on duty and getting his first taste of Renault F1 power.

The Dane, making his return to the F1 grid this year, was fourth fastest using Pirelli soft tyres.

After two marathon days where their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, amassed 328 laps between them, and with Hamilton due to spend all day in the car on Wednesday, with Rosberg back for Thursday.

But instead the team decided to split the duties with the German lapping in the morning and Briton in the afternoon.

And once again the world champions once again prioritised miles over speed on day three as Rosberg and Hamilton logged a combined 162 laps after a change of plan saw them split driving duties for the day.

Both again refused to show the true speed of the W07 with Rosberg fifth fastest and Hamilton down in eighth.

Hamilton didn’t look too perturbed, though, as he passed through the paddock on a hoverboard whilst taking his dog Roscoe for a walk early in the session. Mercedes have now completed a remarkable 490 laps through the first three days of testing.

“We need to push the car to its limit in order to find little problems. At some point something will break and for now we need to keep on going to find out where the little weak points are,” said Rosberg.

“Laptime-wise, it’s not realistic where we are. We haven’t showed our cards, we’re holding back, but the car is quick.”

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz posted the day’s biggest single-driver lap total, getting through 161 tours of the circuit.

Sainz was the first to bring out the red flags when he stopped just after the pit exit after his team had failed to correctly attach a wheel to his car.

Daniil Kvyat finished in ninth place, behind Hamilton, but for the second day in succession Red Bull Racing were hampered by reliability issues.

McLaren-Honda’s positivity over the reliability of their MP4-31 dissipated slightly as Jenson Button managed just 51 laps before his day was ended early by a hydraulic problem.

The 2009 world champion was also well down on pace as he finished 11th out of 12 drivers that took to the track.

Indonesian rookie Rio Haryanto had an opening F1 morning to forget as he spun his Manor into the gravel and finished nearly three seconds behind Button.

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VERSTAPPEN: I CAN FEEL MORE POWER

Although Max Verstappen was last on the timesheets on Tuesday, he insists that the Ferrari powered STR11 is good, particularly in the horsepower department.

“I can feel more power and my helmet being pulled up more by the wind,” said the teenager, contrasting the new Ferrari grunt with the Renault of 2015 at the end of his first day of testing in Barcelona.

Verstappen added, “The first laps were very exciting, also because of the new power unit – it was nice to finally discover it and it felt good straight away.”

“We did quite a lot of laps, which is very important for the team but also for myself to get comfortable with the car. In general I’d say it was a very positive day.”

“Maybe the time sheets don’t reflect this, but we aren’t focusing on lap times right now. I’m happy!” he said on summarising his day.

Meanwhile Toro Rosso has admitted time was so tight in the winter that a livery for the 2016 car had to be put on the backburner.

“We just ran out of time,” technical boss James Key explained in Barcelona, as the plain-blue STR11 was tested by Verstappen.

“We had three months to make a car,” Key is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “Normally, you can’t do that.”

Toro Rosso’s plans were thrown into disarray by the last-minute decision late last year to switch from Renault to 2015-specification Ferrari power.

Key said: “Just two months ago I could not imagine that we could be ready here in Barcelona.”

He confirmed that 150 extra staff were hired at Faenza, “We had to make a few compromises with the (engine) installation.”

But that does not mean the team is not expecting to be fast in 2016, with Key having even referred to a one second per lap boost compared to last year.

“Let’s hope so,” said Verstappen’s father Jos. “But let’s not forget that the other teams are not standing still.”

On day two of testing in Barcelona, the team announced that there will be a “photo opportunity with the STR11 in full livery” on Friday after the first test at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

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WEHRLEIN: MAYBE WE CAN CAUSE AN UPSET IN MELBOURNE

Highly rated rookie Pascal Wehrlein is determined to make his mark on Formula 1 this year, starting as early as the first race of the season.

Backed by Mercedes, the reigning DTM champion makes his grand prix debut in 2016 with Manor, just as the backmarker team eyes a major step forward.

The team has secured the best engine on the grid, technology support from Williams, and well-known technical brains from Ferrari.

“We want to turn up at the weekend and be part of the event, not just to make up the numbers,” said Dave Ryan, another new recruit who is putting the McLaren ‘lie-gate’ scandal behind him as he returns to F1 in 2016.

Wehrlein, wearing his new Steve McQueen-style overalls, has driven the new blue and red Manor so far in Barcelona and seems impressed.

“My aim is to close the gap to the other drivers and hopefully do one or two highlights this year,” the 21-year-old German told Die Welt newspaper. “Who knows, maybe we can cause an upset in Melbourne.”

He will be wanting to make an impression on his Mercedes paymasters in 2016, as the contract of the German marque’s long-time works driver Nico Rosberg is up for renewal.

Rosberg, however, thinks he is going nowhere.

“I’m sure there’s going to be many more years to go here at Mercedes,” he said. “We’ve achieved so much and there’s even more to achieve in the future.”

MIKA: I really hope manor do well this season. Theres no reason for them not to be further up the grid this season and mix it up for the fans.

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MASSA SAYS WILLIAMS FW38 IS VERY DIFFERENT TO 2015 CAR

Felipe Massa has taken issue with reports that Williams have been too conservative with the design of its 2016 Formula 1 car.

Following the FW38’s launch, a correspondent from Brazil had reported his “disappointment” that the new car is visibly almost identical to its predecessor.

But Massa insisted to Globo Esporte: “The car is a lot different, although I don’t want to talk about the technical details.”

Teammate Valtteri Bottas, seventh on Tuesday’s Barcelona timesheets, agrees: “We have addressed the weaknesses of the 2015 car. And you can feel it.”

Bottas, however, said he has “no idea” where Williams is relative to the competition at this point, but reiterated that his goal for 2016 is to win races.

“We know that it will not be easy,” he admitted.

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HONDA F1 CHIEF EXIT TAKES ALONSO BY SURPRISE

Fernando Alonso was among those who were caught by surprise by Honda’s announcement of the departure of F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai on Tuesday.

“I heard it at noon when I was jumping in the car,” said the Spaniard. “Let’s see what changes this brings with it.”

Actually, Arai’s exit should not be a surprise, given the woeful performance of the new McLaren-Honda works collaboration last year.

Alonso got his first taste of Honda’s 2016 engine on Tuesday, declaring that it is better than last year’s.

“But that was clear even before the test,” he told Spanish reporters. “Our deficit to the others was so great that we had to improve.

“I think this year we will improve, and even more for 2017. I really believe that only McLaren-Honda, with its potential, can beat something as dominant as Mercedes is at the moment,” Alonso added.

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TOST OPPOSED TO F1 PENALTY POINTS SYSTEM

Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost has hit out at Formula 1’s system for penalising drivers.

Max Verstappen, the teen sensation who thrilled fans with his audacious overtaking moves last year, enters 2016 with a cloud over his head, having racked up several ‘penalty points’ against his F1 super licence.

“I am opposed to the current system,” Toro Rosso boss Tost told De Telegraaf newspaper, when asked about the possibility Verstappen may be banned.

“Last year Max did great overtaking manoeuvres, which is what the people want to see. But each overtake carries a certain risk,” he added.

Tost warns that, as ever in F1, the second year can often be the most difficult for a rookie, “An overtaking move such as his in Blanchimont might prove difficult now. The competition is more ready for Max.”

Still, Tost said Verstappen is on course for a very bright future.

“In terms of racing we have nothing to teach Max. As a team, we must ensure that we help him to have the best possible car. The rest will follow,” he added.

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VW MOTOSPORT CHIEF SAYS F1 TOO MESSED UP TO INVEST IN

The VW motorsport chief Wolfgang Dürheimer says his company will not enter Formula 1 the sport is in a volatile state and lacking direction.

Dürheimer told Autocar, “Formula 1 is not on our agenda right now. The situation is not predictable enough to make the kind of investment required.”

“On the regulations front, there are a lot of rumours around the engine side and the supporting technology side. Before you commit the kind of money needed you must see five years of rules stability.”

“There can’t be the possibility of rules changes, of more or less engine cylinders coming in, or the hybrid system changing away from technology you are developing on road cars.

“On the ownership side, there are also big questions the sport must answer. If you are a big business making a big investment you expect to have some influence on the set-up, with an assurance the present ownership will last. In F1, it seems the owners will not be there forever and that creates some instability,” reasoned Dürheimer.

Last year, Audi was strongly courted by Red Bull to enter F1, but the emissions scandal put things on the back-burner.

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Tech Talk: Mercedes goes radical with its razor barge-boards

Mercedes introduced a rather radical looking barge-board at the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Tuesday.

It’s an ominous sign for rival teams that Mercedes have already begun testing new parts. Usually the first test is reserved for system checks, electronics, engine installation and general aero analysis, but Mercedes, which is so confident in its W07, has already begun assessing new parts.

On Monday, Mercedes promised some unusual parts and the team delivered on Tuesday morning when Nico Rosberg left the garage in a car that resembled something from Mad Max.

The new barge-board is made up of six vertical elements [1] and several split horizontal strakes [2].

A barge-board is typically used to direct airflow from the centreline around the sidepod to the rear of the car. However with slimmer sidepods and large undercuts up and down the grid, directing airflow isn’t such a necessity anymore, as there is plenty of airflow heading that way.

Mercedes have recognised this and believe the airflow would be better directed underneath the car, where it will meet the diffuser, sealing the edges and sucking the car to the track more effectively.

To achieve this within the rules, they have created vertical slits in the barge-board, which allows the airflow to bleed through, meeting the front of the sidepod where it’s directed downward to the floor [3]. Again, Mercedes have continued the slits horizontally from the barge-board to the floor [2], allowing the airflow an escape route underneath the car.

The strakes will also condition the disrupted airflow, straightening it, which improves how it flows underneath the car to meet the diffuser.

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Lewis Hamilton says drivers should be consulted over future F1 regulations

Lewis Hamilton says drivers should be consulted over future Formula 1 rule changes, after the FIA confirmed new regulations which will make the cars three seconds a lap faster for 2017.

In an effort to create more exciting cars, the FIA has backed calls for new bodywork regulations which will deliver additional downforce, increase speeds and lower lap times.

The concept, proposed by McLaren, would introduce wider cars, running on wider tyres.

But Hamilton says the rules are a mistake, and suggests drivers should be more involved in any future rule changes.

“I don’t agree with the changes that are made and have been made for many, many years, so we just live with it,” the reigning world champion told the media on Wednesday.

“I think the drivers should be consulted, I’m sure they’ve been involved more on recent decisions.

“We do have a feeling of the car, we do have some ideas of what could be better.

“We do know what is not good on the car, particularly some of the drivers who have been driving 10-15 years, we’ve been through all the different rule changes and we know which ones work and which ones didn’t.

“I would say it’s a bad thing.”

A new knockout qualifying system will be introduced in time for the 2016 season opener in Australia next month, but Hamilton doubts the changed format will add much to the show.

“I don’t really feel like it’s going to change much to be honest,” he said.

“I hope it’s a surprise for us all, I hope it does.

“Generally the format should be the same, just put some more focus on getting the laps in, keeping people out, making sure everyone’s out all the time.

“It would be good for spectators maybe.”

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Ricciardo: Qualy change will up the ante

Daniel Ricciardo reckons F1's planned changes to the qualifying format will put a "little bit more pressure" on the drivers.

The F1 Commission has given the go-ahead to a new knockout system, which could come into effect as early as next month's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Under the new format drivers won't be elimated after each segment but rather during it.

In Q1, for example, after seven minutes the slowest driver will be eliminated after which every 1 minute 30 seconds the driver at the bottom of the timesheets will be knocked out.

The new system is expected to up the ante on Saturday afternoons and Red Bull's Ricciardo reckons it will definitely put more pressure on the drivers to put the perfect lap early in the session.

"I was just going over it a little bit before," the Aussie told F1i. "Initial thoughts without looking in to ‘how’s that going to work or what if it rains’ – the ins and outs – it seems fine. I don’t know how much it’s going to change.

"In terms of qualifying we’ll still just bang around, I think what will be interesting is that after 90 seconds or whatever you’re just waiting for a message of ‘you're still in’ or ‘nah, you f***ed up, you’re out’! From that point of view it’s probably going to keep it exciting.

"I think it might put a little bit more pressure on us to execute the lap early in the session because I think after five minutes or something they’re going to start ticking them off.

"So you’ve got to not only execute the lap but set yourself up in traffic well, so there might be a little bit more precision involved rather than pick your moment in 15 minutes.

"So yeah, anything to make it a bit more interesting is cool. Again, it’s one of those ones which is going to be the same for everyone so it won’t be any more positive for some than others, we’ll all get used to it."

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Haas didn’t achieve goals despite laptime – Grosjean

Romain Grosjean admits that Haas failed to achieved the mileage targets it set for the third day of Formula 1 pre-season testing, despite clocking in the second quickest time.

Using soft tyres, Grosjean surged up the leaderboard in the final 20 minutes of the session, setting a best lap of 1m25.874s – 2.7 seconds behind pacesetter Nico Hulkenberg.

The Frenchman completed 82 laps, the team's biggest daily haul so far, but admitted this fell short of the 100-lap target the American squad wanted to achieve owing to some reliability gremlins.

“The idea that was to do 100 laps today,” Grosjean told media at the end of the day. “We didn’t manage that as we lost some time to repair some parts, and to resolve a small glitch with the software.

“But we made some changes to the car to understand how it’s working, and everyone is happy with how it reacts. The main thing is to put mileage on the car, there are lot of parts to evaluate, and there have been two big set-up changes that worked well.

“The basic philosophy of the car is good - at the minute it’s good baseline, but we can certainly put some more performance on it.”

Team operationally “impressive”

Asked by Motorsport.com how he felt Haas compared to his former Lotus team on an operational level, Grosjean said: “Better than expected.

“It’s a brand new team, with brand new people working together, but you have the feeling already that these people have been working together for a long time, which is quite impressive.

“When I left Lotus, I knew what a good group of people that was, it felt like family, but so far I’ve been very happily surprised [at Haas].”

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Lewis Hamilton longs for lighter cars, V12s and manual gearboxes

Lewis Hamilton is not convinced the regulations agreed for 2017 will solve what he sees as the main issue with current F1 cars: weight.

Teams have agreed to pursue a set of regulations with wider cars, wider tyres and more downforce in order to make the cars roughly three seconds a lap faster. The final set of regulations are due on April 30, but the first details of car dimensions and weight have been released.

The weight of F1 cars has been steadily rising in recent years from 595kg in 2008 to 642kg with KERS and the old V8s by the end of 2013 and on to 692kg with the introduction of the current V6 turbo hybrids in 2014. Last year weight was upped to 702kg following concerns about drivers trying to shed too much of their own weight and will go up again to 722kg (plus the added weight of the new tyres) next year.

Hamilton says the added weight is one of the main reasons the cars are no longer as exciting to drive and why Pirelli has struggled to produce high performance tyres in recent years.

"I think over the last few days I'm driving these tyres and thinking why is it so difficult and what are the physical challenges for Pirelli and why is the car sliding in the way it does, and I just realised that when I got into Formula One the car was 605kg or 610kg and now it's 100kg heavier," he said.

"I think that makes a big big difference. They don't have to change the regulations much to make it go faster, just make the cars lighter. They are just super heavy."

On being told the cars would be even heavier next year, Hamilton said: "I think that's just ridiculous personally. They were great at 600kg, nice and nimble and it was easier for the tyres and we had less tyre blowouts.

"The heavier you make the tyres, the more force there is on the tyres and the tyres will feel even worse. It just puts more stress on Pirelli to produce better tyres and then more downforce ... I have my opinions about it."

Asked if all F1 needed was a bit of competition and not new rules, Hamilton said: "I don't think the regulations are fine, even if there was five teams battling. I like a different kind of car, but I don't have all the answers, I just have a preferred type of car.

"I don't want to get into it because I'll just cause a stir and get in trouble. But I love a V12 and wider tyres. I saw a picture the other day of a Ferrari when the sidepods were super low and it must have been mid-80s bodywork. It just looked so cool, the wishbones were really wide -- those were the days.

"I just loved the way the cars looked then. And with a stick shift, those are the days that I liked, but obviously we will never be there again. 2008 was a great year when we were fighting against another team and obviously since then we've had some great battles, but we need more of them. Whatever decisions they have been making have not been working for some time."

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Kvyat: New qualifying looks 'a mess'

Daniil Kvyat says his initial impression of F1's new qualifying format is 'a mess' but isn't expecting it to be too different as he spent the day getting to grips with the new Red Bull Tag-Heuer.

The Russian driver took over from team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for his debut in the RB12 with its TAG-Heuer-branded engine and enjoyed gentle progress by notching up 74 laps with the best time of 1m 26.497s to take ninth overall.

However, it was events off the track which grabbed the headlines as the FIA approved a new qualifying format in F1 with an elimination-style countdown which will leaves two cars to fight for pole position.

Kvyat says he was perplexed by the initial explanation but upon further investigation doesn't see the new system as a huge leap from the previous model.

“The first time I read it, it looks a bit like a mess but then I think it probably doesn't actually change so dramatically, but yes it is going to be interesting,” Kvyat said. “I hope it will work well.

“I think it will be tighter qualifying in terms of you need to put good laps in at the right time and this will be even more crucial now. It is always aimed to improve the show and put more thrill inside of this, so hopefully it will do its mission.

“My favourite qualifying was 2004, 2003 when it was single lap. It was proper, you go out, you go for it, but it was not so fair in terms of track conditions at times. There are always some positives and negatives, so let's see if this one will be the best one, but the current one was not too bad, let's see if this one will be better.”

Reflecting on his work on track Kvyat feels he has established a strong base set-up with the new Red Bull and will look to crank up the mileage and the lap times gradually tomorrow on the final day of the first test.

“It was good, what we can see is that we are moving in the right direction,” he said. “We need more mileage to develop what we have at the moment, but tomorrow will be better. Always the first day in the car there are a few systems checks and stuff like that, but generally it was a positive day, more positives.

“We ideally would like to have more mileage. This is the aim for tomorrow and this will help me and team to develop the package. So we need to start making more laps.”

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BARCELONA DAY 4: FERRARI ON TOP BUT MERCEDES LOOK OMINOUS

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen topped the timing screens at the end of the final day of the first Formula 1 preseason test, but it was Mercedes who stole the show – with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg sharing the cockpit on the day – racking up a massive 185 laps, equivalent to three races at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

Raikkonen set the best time of 1:23.477 using the new Pirelli ultra-soft tyre, as did Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat who ended the day second best and half a second down on the top time. The pair completed 80 laps and 96 laps respectively.

Force India reserve driver Alfonso Celis was third fastest with super-softs bolted on to the increasingly impressive VJM09. He racked up 75 laps.

Best solo showing on the day was Kevin Magnussen who did 153 laps and setting his best lap time set on soft Pirelli tyres.

Up next was Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso and fastest of the drivers on medium tyres, ahead of Felipe Nasr in the 2015 Sauber.

Rosberg and Hamilton were seventh and eighth respectively on the timing sheets. The pair sharing duties and racking up serious mileage for the Silver Arrows outfit.

Fernando Alonso was held to only three laps on Thursday because of an apparent water pressure issue on his McLaren-Honda. He was not able to set a time. Teammate Jenson Button had completed only 51 laps on Tuesday, the least among the 11 drivers who tested, because of a hydraulic leak.

More in progress…

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HAMILTON: IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE WEEK OF TESTING FOR US

Triple Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton hailed his ‘fantastic’ Mercedes after wrapping up the first pre-season test with another 99 laps before lunchtime on Thursday.

“It’s been an incredible week of testing for us because we’ve done more mileage than we ever had before,” the Briton told reporters at the Circuit de Catalunya before handing over to German team mate Nico Rosberg for the afternoon session.

“Before we came here the team were talking about doing 800km a day and I was thinking they are crazy. I’ve never done that in the past…I’ve never had a week like this when the car has just kept going on and on and on.”

Hamilton did 342 laps in total, 156 of them on the first day when the car was still fresh out of the garage. That works out at 1,592km, more than five race distances at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit.

With the V6 turbo hybrid power units now in their third year, reliability has been much better across the field than it was a year ago with far fewer red flags to stop the track action.

Even so, champions Mercedes have far outstripped their rivals in mileage terms, a better benchmark at this stage than outright pace because cars can have different fuel loads.

“The car looks fantastic,” said Hamilton. “Obviously we don’t know the pace of the car just yet but what we can say is that it’s gone the distance and that’s half the battle.”

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, a double champion who had a nightmare 2015 due to the under-performing Honda engine, had his spirits lifted on Wednesday when he managed 119 laps.

They may have dropped again on Thursday, with the Spaniard managing only three laps in the morning and unable to set an official time due to a water leak.

“I think they are very, very strong,” he said of Mercedes. “They are stronger than ever probably.”

Ferrari, closest rivals to Mercedes last year, have looked quick with Sebastian Vettel fastest in the first two days and Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen sounding happy enough on Wednesday.

“I am sure it’s going to be a better car than last year’s,” he said. “We are happy so far even if we know there are still a lot of things to do.”

The season starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 20.

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MASSA: BIG CHANCE OF ANOTHER ONE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Veteran driver Felipe Massa is not sure Formula 1 fans should expect Mercedes to be toppled from its back-to-back title-winning perch in 2016.

As the Brazilian got his first taste of Williams’ new FW38 on Wednesday, he declared that it felt “better” than its predecessor, which finished third overall behind Mercedes and Ferrari last year.

“It feels better than last year’s,” Massa told Globo Esporte, “but I don’t know if it will be enough to be faster than Ferrari and Mercedes.

“I hope we can fight this year with Ferrari,” he added. “With Mercedes? I don’t know. They are very strong. There is a big chance we will see another championship with one team only,” said Massa.

Beginning his 14th race season in F1 this year, Massa said he is basing his comments on having watched first-hand the behaviour of Mercedes’ new car from beside the Barcelona track, “I was in the circuit yesterday and saw how competitive their car is.”

“It’s fast, it does not slide at the front or the back, the wheels do not lock under braking — there is nothing wrong. It seems to be very easy to drive,” added Massa.

Massa’s countryman Felipe Nasr, who drives for Sauber, agrees with his fellow Brazilian.

“I was watching the cars in the middle of the track yesterday and at a certain moment (Sebastian) Vettel and the Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton) were close together,” he said. “The Mercedes overtook the Ferrari and disappeared.”

“I don’t know what fuel they had, but they had the same medium tyres,” he added, before predicting a third-consecutive title for Mercedes this year.

And those predictions are coming even before Mercedes has completed the specification of its ominous new car, let alone tried the new ‘ultra soft’ tyre.

“We will not have this (softest) tyre at this test,” Nico Rosberg revealed, “because we didn’t order them from Pirelli.”

The German admitted: “We haven’t shown our cards yet. We’re still holding back — but for sure the car is quick.”

World champion Hamilton confirmed that Mercedes’ reluctance to hit full throttle with all of its 2016 parts is an effort to surprise its rivals.

“Here (at the first test), you try to show as little as possible so that nobody has time to copy what you’ve done,” he said.

MIKA: Go Mercedes!

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DE LA ROSA: MCLAREN-HONDA WILL NOT WIN RACES THIS SEASON

McLaren-Honda is right to be keeping its expectations for 2016 in check, according to the British team’s former long-time veteran test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

Now 45, de la Rosa has made an appearance in the Barcelona paddock, where expectations that his former colleague Fernando Alonso might have a winning car this year are high.

“We must be realistic,” he told Radio Marca. “McLaren will not win races this season. They are much better, they have started well, but hopefully the improvement will be to get into Q3 and a podium.”

He said teams that want to take on the might of Mercedes need to work steadily towards that goal, as has another of his former employers, Ferrari.

“I think this season we will see four cars winning races regularly,” predicted de la Rosa. “The two Ferraris and the two Mercedes. Both are well above the rest.

“What surprises me is that a big team like Ferrari has shown its weapons so soon with some great times, without hiding anything,” he added.

De la Rosa admitted that his F1 career is probably now over, but he is now exploring a potential move to Le Mans sports cars.

“If I can, I’ll be on the track when I’m 120,” he joked. “It’s similar with Fernando. Talking about his retirement is silly, to put it politely, because giving up is the last thing Fernando does.”

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MARKO: RB12 IS THE BEST CHASSIS RED BULL HAS EVER BUILT

The mood at Red Bull is upbeat even though design guru Adrian Newey admits the RB12 will not be a Mercedes-beater in 2016, but that is not because the car is bad team official Helmut Marko insists.

In fact, he told Auto Motor und Sport the RB12 is “the best chassis Red Bull has ever built”.

On day two, for instance, Daniel Ricciardo was second best behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, on the same purple-walled ‘ultra soft’ tyres.

“The fuel, (and) which engine mode they (Ferrari) were in, we don’t know,” said Marko when asked about the seven tenths deficit. “We are still conservative. But our car was quick right away and reacts logically to each setup change.”

The Austrian also sounds upbeat about the engine situation, even though there seems to be a two-way agreement between Renault and Red Bull not to mention one another’s actual names.

Marko said: “After the experiences of the last two years, it is completely unfamiliar to us to be getting so many kilometres under the belt.”

There were some problems when Daniil Kvyat got his first taste on Wednesday, but Marko is still complimentary of the work Renault – or ‘TAG Heuer’ – has done.

“Clear progress can be seen,” he said. “It goes in the right direction. It is good that they have made Remi Taffin the boss. He is a practical man who saw the problems on track and knows what needs to be done.”

Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur, meanwhile, confirmed that Red Bull will have parity with the works team, and sounds confident about the engine progress.

“We have taken a very big step with the engine,” he told the Danish newspaper BT, “and there is another significant update in the near future.”

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VASSEUR: KEVIN STORY IS COMPLETE BULLSH*T

Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur has slammed suggestions he is not fully behind 2016 recruit Kevin Magnussen.

Particularly in the Danish media, much has been made of Vasseur’s recent suggestion that his first choice to replace Pastor Maldonado this year was actually ART protege Stoffel Vandoorne.

“Complete bullsh*t,” the Frenchman told Denmark’s BT newspaper. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big story in Denmark.”

“A Belgian journalist asked me if I was interested in Vandoorne, and I replied ‘Of course yes, but he has a contract with McLaren’. It’s my job to be interested in all good drivers, but that does not mean that I can hire them all.

“I am very happy with the two drivers I have,” he insisted. “Kevin and Jolyon Palmer is a great combination. “I’ve known Kevin for many years. He did not race for me in the junior classes, but he was a tough competitor and always at the top.

“He had a bad experience in 2015 that made him extra motivated for this season, so for me, Kevin was the perfect candidate for our vacant seat,” Vasseur said.

However, even though fully backed by his team, it seems that Magnussen has only a one-year deal.

Vasseur replied: “Even though it is a long-term project, everyone in the team is concentrating on 2016. It is too early to think about 2017.”

Indeed, Renault has a lot of immediate problems to solve, as the hurried installation of its own engine into a car designed by Lotus for a Mercedes power unit has proved troublesome in early testing.

“It has been a bit tricky,” Vasseur admitted. “It is because we came so late, but it is a long-term project, so it is not crucial,” he explained.

“Right now we have some problems we need to solve, but just to have a car ready for when the test started on Monday at 9 o’clock was a huge success for everyone in the team,” he added.

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MEXICAN OFFICIALS KEEN TO HAVE AUSTIN STAY ON F1 CALENDAR

Mexico’s F1 marketing director Rodrigo Sanchez hopes his colleagues north of the border can end the uncertainty surrounding the 2016 United States Grand Prix.

A government funding dispute has thrown the popular Austin race, currently with ominous “subject to confirmation” status on the final 2016 calendar, into doubt.

It is provisionally scheduled to be the first in an American ‘double header’ this year, with Mexico taking place on the following weekend, in late October.

Earlier, it was planned that some cross-promotional activities between Mexican and US organisers would be shared.

But Sanchez said: “They (Circuit of the Americas) are going through a lot right now, and there’s a lot of stuff that they need to prioritise before even thinking about things like how to cross-promote events.

“Hopefully they can get their things together and host another successful grand prix in the States,” he told Sports Business Daily Global.

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MANOR: AN INCREDIBLE DAY

Indonesia is bursting with pride today after Rio Haryanto got his first taste of Manor Racing’s 2016 challenger in pre-season testing.

The team’s social media channels received a deluge of supportive messages from Rio’s legions of fans and followers, who were eager to chart every lap of his progress as he made his debut in the MRT05.

He completed 78 laps – the biggest tally of the three days so far – to end the day 12th. His best time was a 1:28.249.

Rio Haryanto: “This has been an incredible day – for me and my country. Of course I’ve tested a Formula 1 car previously, but never before with the knowledge that I am guaranteed to race it as well. Everything feels very real and exciting finally. We’re now on the fast track to Melbourne and my first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, which is such an incredible and emotional feeling for me. Inside the car there was a lot of work to focus on, picking up the programme from the past two days and trying lots of things to get me used to the car’s behaviour with different set-ups. It felt really good and we made a lot of progress with evaluations and gathering data. I can’t wait to be back on track tomorrow.”

John McQuilliam, Technical Director: “Rio was itching to get in the car today, after waiting patiently on the sidelines for the first two days of our programme. He was quickly up to speed and eager to explore the car’s behaviour and potential. For someone on the receiving end of such enormous support – back home and here in Barcelona – he has handled himself really well, remaining fully focused in the garage and cockpit. He can be proud of his first day’s work and it is certainly encouraging for us that we have two very hungry drivers on the books, to match the positive signs we’re seeing with the MRT05 out of the box.”