First sights and sounds of F1 2014

After all the talk of new regulations and ugly noses, it was finally time to see - and hear - the new breed of turbocharged Formula 1 cars on track at Jerez this morning.

AUTOSPORT decided to head out to Dry Sac, the tight right-hander at the end of the back straight. Here, you can see the cars approaching at high speed before braking hard and coming down the (eight-speed) gearbox. They then accelerate away as the drivers head off into the faster Turn 7.

It's cool but dry as the session begins and, encouragingly, one car heads out on track straight away. It's Lewis Hamilton in the new Mercedes.

As he ventures tentatively onto the back straight, the car is popping and banging, as though hitting a very low rev limiter. It is, understandably, an installation lap with the car nowhere near a proper pace, but it does make Hamilton the first official runner of the new era.

The Mercedes is certainly one of the more attractive cars too, a smooth nose helping to make it less - how shall we put it - controversial-looking than several of its rivals.

For those of us concerned about the new cars being too quiet, there is also good news. Just that run is enough to allay fears. Even at relatively low revs the car can be heard from some distance away - around most of the circuit, in fact.

Then silence descends once more. With so little testing available, you would expect to see the teams trying to get out on track, but many are simply not ready.

Raikkonen's first outing didn't last long © LAT

It's another half-hour before there is more activity, Hamilton returning for another out/in-lap, and this time there's a tad more urgency.

He's still not pushing much in the corners, but at higher engine revs the Mercedes now starts to sound more familiar - perhaps unsurprisingly it's a bit like a cross between a 1980s turbo and the now obsolete 2.4-litre V8.

Hamilton picks up the pace further on his next run. The engine has a nice, rough, edge to it as he presses on. Only the strange pop into and out of the slower corners, perhaps linked to the regenerative power systems, seems truly alien.

When he does a flying lap, albeit a very tentative one 15s off 2013's eventual day-one pace, the Mercedes seems slightly sluggish initially on the exit of the hairpin before more power comes. The car isn't moving around, but at least it is - unlike most - moving.

Next there's a flash of red coming out of the pitlane. Kimi Raikkonen heads out for the first run of his second Ferrari career. But it doesn't last long - the F14 T quickly goes quiet and the 2007 world champion comes to a stop just after getting on to the back straight.

Kimi's Ferrari thus passes AUTOSPORT for the first time on the back of a truck, under a cover of course. But it's unlikely to be the last car to stop on track and cause a red flag this week...

The second is not far behind. Sergio Perez's Force India makes it as far as AUTOSPORT's vantage point at the hairpin before the engine note flattens, then dies completely and the Mexican is left stranded on the exit.

Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso is the first Renault-engined car out, exiting Turn 5 with a more noticeable electrical whine than the Mercedes, but it's soon drowned out by the engine note.

The Toro Rosso was the first Renault-powered car in action © XPB

The Renault unit doesn't sound quite as smooth as the Mercedes, with a low-level hum under the main engine note, but it's probably fair to say Vergne isn't yet pressing on as much as Hamilton. And the changes to the sound as each driver pushes more are significant.

Raikkonen soon returns, approaches Turn 6 at decent speed, then has a moment as the rear tries to get away from him.

The engine seems like it has stopped, but Kimi manages to whine around the hairpin and gets some drive on the exit. This time he's able to bring the Ferrari back to the garage.

As midday approaches, only Mercedes, Toro Rosso, Sauber and Ferrari (just) have managed to get out of the pits and return under their own steam.

With so little running, comparison between the cars is virtually impossible, other than to say the Mercedes squad looks like it's made the most confident start.

But already AUTOSPORT is getting a feel for F1, 2014 style.

The cars, in truth, are dramatic enough. They're fast, make a lot of noise, albeit without the wow factor of the V8s, and some of the liveries aren't bad either.

All we need now is for them to be able to run far enough to put on a race. Or even a qualifying session.

And on day one at Jerez, that seems a long way off... but it's just 46 days until the lights go out in Melbourne.