Ten things we learned from the final F1 test

The next time Formula 1 cars turn a wheel it will be in free practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Everyone at Barcelona last week knew that and the pressure was on.

The Circuit de Catalunya hosted the final round of winter testing, with teams and engine manufacturers aiming to combine what they had learned over 12 days of running with their off-track efforts, and leave with a race-ready package.

Some did that better than others and while testing is never definitive, the final four days added further detail to the 2015 form guide, including these key lessons.

McLAREN WILL NOT BE READY FOR MELBOURNE
Ben Anderson (@benandersonauto)

Does McLaren-Honda have an unhealthy relationship with Murphy's Law - the tenet that says "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"?

Against a backdrop of repeated technical problems (and star driver Fernando Alonso's unfortunate accident) it must feel like it.

It's true that the final pre-season test went significantly better for McLaren than the previous two. Jenson Button managed 101 laps on day two, while the team suspects it has made a breakthrough on the MGU-K woes that blighted its last outing.

But further operational issues and niggly gremlins still severely disrupted its running, and the team admits it will be in for a tough time at the early-season races.

FERRARI'S RECOVERY IS REAL
Ben Anderson

Ferrari's pre-season testing programme has gone so smoothly that new team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was moved to announce that "all targets have been achieved" with its new car.

That's quite a statement for a team whose effort for the first season of V6 hybrid turbo F1 in 2014 was so bad that nearly all its senior staff were ushered through Maranello's exit door.

Perhaps the fairest indication of the Scuderia's progress is that rivals have been genuinely impressed by what they've seen. Both Red Bull and Williams were comfortably quicker than Ferrari last year, but believe they will be in a genuine fight with the Scuderia this season.

Good news for Ferrari fans.

MERCEDES IS FASTEST BUT DRIVERS AREN'T HAPPY
Mitchell Adam (@drmitchelladam)

That Mercedes has the fastest car in 2015 is in no way a revelation, and while the final test gave an indication about just how far ahead it might be, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were hardly buoyant.

Rosberg's very first taste of the 2015 soft tyre on Friday afternoon was a statement. He set what would be the fastest lap of the test, a full 1.203 seconds faster than Valtteri Bottas's time on the same compound a little earlier.

As the rest of the paddock digested the performance, though, Rosberg spoke about a "difficult day", spent "chasing the set-up" to deal with oversteer and poor traction.

On Saturday, Hamilton went faster on the soft compound than Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen lapped on the super-soft, after the team sacrificed several hours of running to apply an 'experimental' set-up. His media session largely echoed Rosberg's, talking about being uncomfortable.

Hamilton conceded that track conditions might have played a role, and Rosberg was more content on Sunday night, but their reactions suggest they feel there is even more to come.

RENAULT STILL HAS WORK TO DO
Ben Anderson

Renault deliberately held back performance at the previous test, in order to prove the reliability of its new power unit. Target achieved, it brought a raft of upgrades to Barcelona in an effort to unleash more performance for Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

There is no doubt the latest Renault engine is more powerful than its predecessor, but is it enough to allow Red Bull to keep pace with Williams-Mercedes and Ferrari? The answer to that question is still not clear.

New driveability problems, related to the upgrades, developed at this week's final test and Renault admits it won't be fully on top of everything before the first race in Melbourne.

WILLIAMS IS LOOKING OVER ITS SHOULDER
Lawrence Barretto (@lawrobarretto)

Williams ended last season on a high, recovering from a slow start to emerge as Mercedes' closest rival on merit and without much challenge from the rest of the field.

With success comes pressure but the team has looked remarkably relaxed throughout testing, getting through its daily programmes with minimal problems - even finishing early on some days.

But despite making gains in terms of operational efficiency and performance, the team believes it will face a challenge on two fronts. It must try to catch and then battle with Mercedes, while looking over its shoulder and "scrapping" with the ever-improving Ferrari.

If you look at the laptimes from day three, you'd have to say that could well be the case.

Williams' Felipe Massa bolted on a set of super-softs and clocked a 1m23.262s.

Kimi Raikkonen responded with a time in the Ferrari that was just 0.014s slower on the same tyres.

Meanwhile, the speed-trap figures on the straight show that there's nothing in it, with Massa at 206mph and Raikkonen hitting 205mph.

So it looks like the Williams will have its hands full - but at least it looks like it will be having its battles at the sharp end.

ALONSO CRASH WILL SPARK FRESH SAFETY DRIVE
Lawrence Barretto

As Fernando Alonso continues his recovery after his McLaren hit the wall at Turn 3 during the first Barcelona test, uncertainty remains about what actually happened.

AUTOSPORT revealed that the only moving images of the crash were taken from a CCTV camera, but the footage was not very clear.

The FIA has already pushed ahead with new rules that will force teams to run high-speed cameras on their cars from next year.

F1 teams backed the governing body's initiative, voting it through at an F1 Commission meeting, so all that is required now is for the FIA World Motor Sport Council to approve it when it meets next month.

Alonso's crash was particularly severe because the Spaniard hit the wall laterally, forcing him to spend three days in hospital and miss the final test.

That led Romain Grosjean to call for more protection for that kind of impact.

"If you hit the wall sideways, the wishbones and so on are not designed to break in that way," he said.

"If they stay in one piece, the energy has to go somewhere - and that's the driver."

FORCE INDIA IS ON THE BACK FOOT
Lawrence Barretto

It's been a bleak winter for Force India. Very bleak.

The team was one of three that led the push for more financial assistance for small teams following Caterham and Marussia going into administration last year.

There was then speculation that Force India might not even contest the season, following delays with the build of its new car. It missed the first test and only sent a 2014 car to the second.

AUTOSPORT has since learned that the manufacture of the chassis was delayed by 10 days because of a problem with the supplier's machine, which prevented the car from being completed in time for the second test.

It has also emerged that the team's cashflow was an issue. Suppliers requested earlier payments for parts because they themselves were struggling following Caterham and Marussia's demise.

And now deputy team principal Bob Fernley has confirmed he appealed to Bernie Ecclestone for assistance, making that admission when asked if Force India had requested any advance payments from Formula One Management.

But the team turned a corner at the final test, running its 2015 car for the first time without any hitches. Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez clocked up 365 laps in three days, just 15 shy of McLaren's tally across 12 days.

The challenge now will be to find performance - and quickly - or the team risks being left behind.

VERSTAPPEN IS A STAR IN THE MAKING
Ben Anderson

When watching the cars trackside on day two, alongside ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok, there was one driver who caught our special guest's eye more than any other.

"He doesn't look like a rookie. He drives very consistently and in a really good way. He's not too aggressive, but he's got enough aggression to get the tyres working. You don't see him locking up and you don't see him going off. I think he's mighty impressive."

Chandhok was talking about the youngest driver in the field, 17-year-old Max Verstappen, whose smooth style and precise lines seriously impressed.

Those who questioned the wisdom of Red Bull for promoting such a young driver, with so little racing experience, into F1 will likely be eating their words come Melbourne.

HAMILTON IS NO TRADITIONALIST
Mitchell Adam

For decades, it was a given that Formula 1's world champion would race with #1 the following season. But Lewis Hamilton is electing to do his own thing in F1's new era of drivers owning a number for their career.

His selection, #44, is significant from his karting days and that importance only grew with a second world championship in 2014.

Still, most people expected he'd park it for 2015 and use #1. He's not. Hamilton is moving away from the tradition and electing to continue carrying the number he argues means much more to him.

When asked about it during a media session, Hamilton even went so far as to call #1 "irrelevant", arguing that he knows he's #1 and that he doesn't need to carry the digit.

If Mercedes' dominance continues and Hamilton wins the intra-team battle, it might be a while before we see #1 on a Formula 1 car again.

MAGNUSSEN IS A SPORTSCAR FAN
Mitchell Adam

One year ago, on the eve of his grand prix debut, you wouldn't have thought Kevin Magnussen would be pursuing a GT drive at Le Mans for 2015.

But circumstances change. And rather than follow his rookie campaign with a year on the sidelines after being squeezed out to accommodate Fernando Alonso, the Dane is exploring opportunities to stay sharp and go racing.

One of the first calls he made was to his father, Jan, about the possibility of teaming up in sportscar racing's flagship event with Corvette. Unfortunately there was no seat available.

Magnussen remains focused on resuming his Formula 1 career and he knows that seat time is worth its weight in gold to ensure he's prepared to take whatever opportunity comes next.

If not for Alonso's accident, Magnussen wouldn't have driven in this test, and time in the McLaren cockpit during the year will be limited, so casting a wider net was a wise move.