Pre-season testing this year has been reduced from 12 days to just 8. The 2 four-day tests both took place at Catalunya in February and March, ahead of the first grand prix of the season.
Pre-season testing:
Test 1: 22-25 February
- Day 1
- Day one of testing comes to an end and it seems Mercedes are once again unstoppable. Hamilton completed a staggering 156 laps, but was beaten to the fastest time by Vettel in Ferrari. McLaren seem to have fixed their reliability issues of last year, having done 84 laps. Read more to see full results…
- Full Results and Review Here.
- Day 2
- Vettel, once again ended the day fastest, but it was again the Mercedes which completed the most laps. Many teams completed over 100 laps, including McLaren, who appear to have solved their 2015 reliability woes.
- Full Results and Review Here.
- Day 3
- Hulkenberg beat Ferrari to the top of the times today, with Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso clocking the most laps. Meanwhile, Haryanto made a good start to his F1 career, despite a spin early in the day.
- Full Results and Review Here.
- Day 4
- Raikkonen finishes the day fastest, meaning Ferrari have been on top 3 of the 4 days of the first test. But, again, it was Mercedes who completed the most laps showing supreme reliability. For McLaren it was a disaster, just three laps and no time set.
- Full Results and Review Here.
Test 2: 1-4 March
- Day 1
- For the first time since testing started last week, Mercedes ended the day’s running fastest. The session ended early, after Magnussen stopped out on track with an issue. Despite a problem just before lunch, Alonso managed 93 laps and ended the day 3th fastest.
- Full Results and Review Here.
- Day 2
- Valtteri Bottas set the fastest lap of the day, on the supersoft tyres, and Sainz totalled the most laps,with 2 more than Mercedes. Haas only completed one lap, missing the rest of the day with a turbo issue. Renault didn’t have a trouble free day either, with a water leak ending their running early.
- Full Results and Review Here.
- Day 3
- Ferrari were fastest in the penultimate day of pre-season testing. After completing just 1 lap yesterday, Haas had a much better session today, completing 77 laps, despite bringing the red flag out 3 times. Verstappen completed the most laps of anyone, on 159, whilst Mercedes had another trouble-free day.
- Full Results and Review Here.
Car launches:
Mercedes – Launched
As Mercedes target their third championship in a row this year, they have revealed their challenger for 2016. The car looks similar to 2015 but Mercedes claim that they have made multiple mini-revolutions in order to make steps forward in performance.
Ferrari – Launched
Aiming to beat Mercedes in 2016, Ferrari have launched their 2016 challenger. The SF16-H features a shorter, higher nose and pushrod rather than pullrod suspension. Last year, they made huge steps over the winter and are confident they have moved forwards this year too.
Williams – Launched
Williams have revealed their new car, the FW38, for 2016. Despite admitting that finishing third in the championship will be a challenge, they are determined to keep on improving. The car features the red, white and blue stripes as in previous years and Claire Williams is confident that they have made steps forward over the winter.
Red Bull – Launched
Testing begins in Spain and the first pictures of the Red Bull RB12 have been revealed. The car is still Renault-powered after other manufacturers didn’t allow them to use their engines.
Force India – Launched
Just half and hour before testing began, Force India have launched their 2016 car. The team have high hopes for this year, after a big improvement in the second half of 2015.
Renault –Launched
Toro Rosso – Launched
Despite no formal launch, the STR11 was one of the first to take to the track this morning. Currently they are running with a plain blue livery, but will reveal their colour scheme later in testing.
Sauber – 1 March
McLaren – Launched
After a tough season in 2015, dropping to 9th in the championship, McLaren are targeting a big step forwards for 2016. The livery remains similar to last year, with red and black, and the short nose is also retained. McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, says the team have worked incredibly hard over the winter but are unsure of when the wins will come.
Manor – Launched
Their first new car in 2 years, Manor are confident the MRTo5 is a big step forward in performance. Technical Director, John McQuilliam, has described it as a ‘dream package’.
Haas – Launched
Haas unveiled their car and stated that they were hoping to be competitive this season, despite it being their first in Formula One. The car was designed in Ferrari’s wind tunnel and also used a Ferrari engine, but despite concerns it may be a copy of the Ferrari, there are noticeable differences between the two cars.