Mercedes leads the way in test mileage

10/03/2018
NEWS STORY

Though it's been said many times before, the old adage about the fact that 'to finish first, first you have to finish' is totally true.

It's no use having the fastest car on the grid if it isn't going to make it to the finish line.

This year, as in 2017, Ferrari fills the top spots in terms of pace, though while Kimi Raikkonen was the pace-setter last year, this time around it's teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Third quickest is Fernando Alonso, but then again, when one comes to reliability McLaren is at the bottom of the pile. OK, it's nowhere as bad as last year but it's not the best way to inspire confidence.

Of course, this year we lost almost two days courtesy of the weather gods, yet even so Mercedes only completed 56 less laps than in 2017, while, admittedly, McLaren completed 174 more.

And then there's Honda, the Japanese manufacturer completing 425 laps last year when powering the Woking team, but a mighty 822 this time around in the Toro Rosso.

Despite looking poor on pace, Williams is looking good on reliability, while Renault has also taken a significant step forward. Indeed if we compare this year's pre-season test mileage to 2017, Toro Rosso McLaren and Renault see the biggest improvements, while Force India has taken a step back.

Though Haas has completed less miles this year than it did in 2017, the pace of the VF-18, especially considering it didn't resort to the hypersofts, indicates the American team could be a surprise force in the midfield.

As for engines, a direct comparison is made difficult by the fact that last year only two teams were running the current-spec Ferrari power unit, however, overall Renault has completed 16.7% more laps this year and Honda a mighty 93%.

If nothing else, it’s food for thought.

Engine Manufacturer Test Mileage

Engine Manufacturer Laps Miles Kms
Mercedes 2570 7433.7 11963.1
Ferrari 2410 6970.9 11218.3
Renault 2177 6297.0 10133.7
Honda 822 2377.6 3826.3

Team Test Mileage

Team Laps Miles Kms
Mercedes 1040 3008.2 4841.1
Ferrari 929 2687.1 4324.4
Toro Rosso 822 2377.6 3826.3
Williams 819 2369.0 3812.4
Renault 795 2299.5 3700.6
Sauber 786 2273.5 3658.8
Red Bull 783 2264.8 3644.8
Force India 711 2056.6 3309.6
Haas 695 2010.3 3235.2
McLaren 599 1732.6 2788.3

Driver Test Mileage

Driver Team Laps Miles Kms
Vettel Ferrari 643 1859.9 2993.1
Bottas Mercedes 584 1689.2 2718.5
Hamilton Mercedes 456 1319.0 2122.6
Gasly Toro Rosso 452 1307.4 2104.0
Sainz Renault 444 1284.3 2066.8
Verstappen Red Bull 419 1212.0 1950.4
Ericsson Sauber 411 1188.8 1913.2
Magnussen Haas 381 1102.0 1773.5
Leclerc Sauber 375 1084.7 1745.6
Ocon Force India 372 1076.0 1731.6
Hartley Toro Rosso 370 1070.2 1722.3
Ricciardo Red Bull 364 1052.9 1694.4
Sirotkin Williams 354 1023.9 1647.8
Hulkenberg Renault 351 1015.3 1633.9
Stroll Williams 343 992.1 1596.6
Vandoorne McLaren 336 971.9 1564.0
Perez Force India 317 916.9 1475.6
Grosjean Haas 314 908.2 1461.6
Raikkonen Ferrari 286 827.3 1331.3
Alonso McLaren 263 760.7 1224.2
Kubica Renault 122 352.9 567.9
Mazepin Force India 22 63.6 102.4

Best Times To Date

Date Driver Team Tyres Time Gap
08-Mar Vettel Ferrari HS 1:17.182 134.918 mph
09-Mar Raikkonen Ferrari HS 1:17.221 0.039
09-Mar Alonso McLaren HS 1:17.784 0.602
07-Mar Ricciardo Red Bull HS 1:18.047 0.865
09-Mar Sainz Renault HS 1:18.092 0.910
08-Mar Magnussen Haas SS 1:18.360 1.178
08-Mar Gasly Toro Rosso HS 1:18.363 1.181
07-Mar Hamilton Mercedes US 1:18.400 1.218
09-Mar Grosjean Haas US 1:18.412 1.230
07-Mar Bottas Mercedes US 1:18.560 1.378
08-Mar Hulkenberg Renault HS 1:18.675 1.493
01-Mar Vandoorne McLaren HS 1:18.855 1.673
09-Mar Hartley Toro Rosso HS 1:18.949 1.767
09-Mar Ocon Force India HS 1:18.967 1.785
09-Mar Leclerc Sauber HS 1:19.118 1.936
09-Mar Sirotkin Williams S 1:19.189 2.007
08-Mar Ericsson Sauber HS 1:19.244 2.062
08-Mar Kubica Williams SS 1:19.629 2.447
08-Mar Perez Force India HS 1:19.634 2.452
08-Jul Verstappen Red Bull S 1:19.842 2.660
09-Mar Stroll Williams S 1:19.954 2.772
26-Feb Mazepin Force India M 1:25.628 8.446

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Published: 10/03/2018
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