Is Ferrari not Mercedes in pole position for F1 season start?

[John S]

Off throttle fuel save may give them mpg advantage. 

Mercedes is being touted as the early 2014 favourite, but Ferrari is reportedly also ahead of the game as F1's new V6 era dawns. The German-language Speed Week reports that, when Ferrari-powered cars decelerated at the recent Jerez test, they sounded "very different" to their Mercedes and Renault-equipped counterparts.

 Rumours in Italy say engine designer Luca Marmorini has devised an unique system that stops the flow of fuel when the driver is not accelerating, improving not only fuel consumption but also the effect of engine-braking.

 Also attracting attention at Jerez were Ferrari's airboxes and sidepods, amid suggestions the Italian marque is ahead of the game in the challenging area of cooling the all-new engine, turbo and energy-recovery systems.

 When asked about the Ferrari layout, Mercedes' engine boss Andy Cowell told Auto Motor und Sport: "Cooling has become such an important issue, both for power and for the aerodynamics, so a lot of research has gone into this field."

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[Scott]

I've got Ferrari on pole 

[cosworth151]

A German language mag picks Merc over Ferrari. Imagine that! 

It still looks too early to call for me.

[vintly]

Neither 

[J.Clark]

What is Williams using?
I would like to see Ferrari have a good year and be on the pole from the start.
I was watching the testing in Jerez and both Ferrari and Merc had good results. 

Massa ended up on top though and so I would not jump to any conclusions just yet.

[Monty]

All that the testing sessions have shown so far is the Mercedes packages are quick and reliable and have therefore provided more laps for Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and FIF1 (were there any other Mercedes?). The Ferraris were also quick and reliable in Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia but they didn't do as many laps.
There is no evidence of how quick the Renaults will be because the main team (RBR) have badly misjudged the cooling requirements and the other teams (Torro Rosso and Caterham) had various problems. Anyone that follows F1 knows that the first testing sessions never indicate how well teams will perform in the races. It is ridiculous to talk about Mercedes or Ferrari being in 'pole position' at this stage.

[Jericoke]

All that the testing sessions have shown so far is the Mercedes packages are quick and reliable and have therefore provided more laps for Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and FIF1 (were there any other Mercedes?). The Ferraris were also quick and reliable in Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia but they didn't do as many laps.
There is no evidence of how quick the Renaults will be because the main team (RBR) have badly misjudged the cooling requirements and the other teams (Torro Rosso and Caterham) had various problems. Anyone that follows F1 knows that the first testing sessions never indicate how well teams will perform in the races. It is ridiculous to talk about Mercedes or Ferrari being in 'pole position' at this stage.

That's why they call the off season the 'silly season'!

Gives the fans a chance to be silly before getting down to business.

I'm not familiar with the engine rules:  how much work are they allowed to do to change the engines?  I know that they've been locked down the last few years.  Are they locked down now, or can the suppliers make changes until the first race?

[John S]

I'm not familiar with the engine rules:  how much work are they allowed to do to change the engines?  I know that they've been locked down the last few years.  Are they locked down now, or can the suppliers make changes until the first race?

Lock down applies at start of first race weekend, after that only changes for reliability or safety reasons will be allowed. 

The engine manufacturers need to apply for permission to make changes after the start of the season, it will be for the FIA to decide if changes can be made.   

[Irisado]

While winter testing is a notoriously unreliable indicator, it can also be right on the money in some instances.  You need only look at Ferrari's crushing dominance of winter tests prior to the 2004 season I think it was for an example of when winter testing did prove to be an accurate measure of performance.

Based on the limited information available, I do think that Mercedes and Ferrari look to be the most likely teams to be battling at the front come Melbourne, but Albert Park is a bit of an unusual track in some respects, so surprises are always possible.

[vintly]

Never has the first winter test been so unreliable as an indicator of performance as this year. Not one car has really been put through it's paces yet, but I can't wait to see what Bahrain brings. Time's running out, and the track will be warm - there'll be no excuses - they have to run the cars hard. It could be carnage!

[lkjohnson1950]

Toro Rosso recently had a "media day" and were ony able to run 70 of the 100 km allowed. They had problems with the ERS control, the ERS battery, and heat. Renault has taken the blame for the teams' problems but says a full cure is not likely by Bahrain.

[Scott]

Toro Rosso recently had a "media day" and were ony able to run 70 of the 100 km allowed. They had problems with the ERS control, the ERS battery, and heat. Renault has taken the blame for the teams' problems but says a full cure is not likely by Bahrain.

Like I said, I would like to see RBR on their back foot to start the season so they don't run away with it. 

[F1fanaticBD]

I really feeling bad for Torro Rosso, they have just dropped the Ferrari engine in favor of Ranault engine which they thought will be to help them align with the Big Brother team Red Bull. They had a pretty decent outing last year, I was hoping they could at least stay there like that.( I will always have the a soft corner for this team, as I still consider this team as the Minardi with a Red Bull sponsorship)

Red Bull have the big bucks to resist this disaster of Renault, but does small teams like Torro Rosso or Caterham have that sort of a resistance??

[Monty]

I am really surprised to see so many people ready to dismiss the 2014 Renault. Don't forget that Renault already have turbo experience. Then add the weight of the RBR / Newey connection and I am sure they will be very strong. As far as I can see all the problems were cooling related and therefore easily fixed. When Lotus got out on the track they were really fast. I am sure Renault engines will be a match for Mercedes and Ferrari. I am expecting the reliability issues to come from the new energy recovery systems which are all new and incredibly complex.

[vintly]

I am really surprised to see so many people ready to dismiss the 2014 Renault. Don't forget that Renault already have turbo experience. Then add the weight of the RBR / Newey connection and I am sure they will be very strong. As far as I can see all the problems were cooling related and therefore easily fixed. When Lotus got out on the track they were really fast. I am sure Renault engines will be a match for Mercedes and Ferrari. I am expecting the reliability issues to come from the new energy recovery systems which are all new and incredibly complex.

I agree, which is why the time to get your bets on Renault-powered cars and their drivers is NOW, while the odds show value!