F1 Talk: From DAS to Record mileage; What we Learned from Barcelona

As the second pre-season test for the 2020 Formula 1 season is going to take place on Wednesday at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, what were the key lessons that we learned from last week’s inaugural Formula test in the Spanish sunshine?

1. Record Mileage

After record reliability in testing last year, 2020 has been no different with minimal reliability problems for teams across the board as they aim to further understand their cars ahead of the the start of the season. All ten teams completed over 300 laps, which equates to four and a half Spanish Grand Prix distances over the three days.

Topping the lap charts were world champions Mercedes with 494 laps, closely followed by Red Bull, Alfa Romeo and Mclaren with 471, 424 and 423 laps respectively.This seriously impressive reliability has set them up well for another productive week of testing when the gloves start to come off.

On that basis, all teams should be looking good when it comes to reliability when the racing begins in less than three weeks time with 3,940 laps between them.

2. Dual Access Steering (DAS)

Mercedes magic innovation has got all the paddock talking as both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have had the opportunity to feel the benefit from their brand-new Dual Access Steering (DAS) system for 2020.

This allows Mercedes to have two axis operating when they steer into any corner; one enabling the tyre to go from side-to-side and one that goes front-to-back. So in operating the DAS by pulling the steering wheel towards them on the straights, instead of pointing slightly outwards, the car is dead straight.

Therefore, this means that they will not scrub as much speed off while they head down the straight, thus maximizing straightline speed. Also, it will help preserve the tyres as it means that the inner shoulder of the tyre does not have to work as hard as the car will be pointing straight instead of doing the lap at a slight angle as is normally the case.

3. Trends are emerging

Unlike testing in recent years, last week’s inaugural test provided a clear indicator of where the teams are strong and where improvements need to be made. For instance, Ferrari performed much better in slow speed corners than they had at any point last year, some 0.38 s quicker than even Mercedes through the slow-speed stuff.

Mercedes meanwhile have a comfortable edge in the medium-speed corners, some 0.4s quicker than Red Bull in such corners.  Alfa Romeo shone in this area and were the third fastest team in the medium speed turns.

Straight-line speed performance is one of the true unknowns in testing and test two may give a better indication of the relative speeds of the cars this year.

4. B-Spec Mercedes

Racing Point’s brand-new Formula 1 challenger looks mightily different compared to their 2019 car which features more than just stylistic features that are comparable to Mercedes’ all-conquering W10.

The RP20 features a Mercedes-style nose and bargeboard sections as they seek to create a car with greater levels of downforce, while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency.

This Mercedes copy could be an absolute blinder by Racing point who are feeling confident about their chances, with some thinking that not only could they be best of the rest, but could even be ahead of Ferrari in the performance rankings.

5. Revival at Williams

After a 2019 to forget for the Grove-based outfit, the all-new red, white and blue Williams gives  something for them to smile about.

They racked up 323 laps at the end of week one and had comparable pace with Mclaren, Haas and Ferrari, thus showing encouraging pace at the start of a new season.

It will be hard for them to bounce back from their season of nightmares’, but the signs are that early doors they have a decent base from which to build as they set about mixing it with the midfield teams in what they hope to be a competitive season in store.

The car looks a lot more refined with the quality of the finish more apparent and the intricate aerodynamic design should allow them to spearhead a competitive campaign.

With test two just around the corner, how will the teams fare as they set about further understanding their cars before the first race of the season in three weeks time. Test two will take place between February 26-28 for the final opportunity for the teams to test their cars before the 2020 Australian GP on March 15.