Ferrari Plays Safe As F1's New Era Begins

Italian team plays down chances despite test pace.

Rivals spot form

Ferrari has been coy with its media activity so far, after company head Sergio Marchionne ordered the team mostly into silence after its shortfall on promises last year. However, the squad’s rivals have been vocal on the progress made by the Scuderia.

McLaren’s Eric Boullier told reporters: “Obviously it is difficult to say [about ultimate performance] because you don’t know the fuel level, or especially the engine [settings] and how many switch downs you are on the power curve. But, if I may say so, the Ferrari is surprising and people were not expecting Ferrari to be matching Mercedes’ lap times.

“Everybody has got their own secrets, everybody is changing their plans, so even between teams we tried to find out and sort out who is doing what. It is not easy. But next week’s test will be a little more revealing about performance, but definitely to see for certain we have to wait for Australia.”

Toro Rosso technical head James Key added: “The Ferrari looks really interesting. It is not like the other cars, particularly around the area of the sidepods. This is a completely new approach.”

McLaren struggles

McLaren arrived at Barcelona confident with a fresh chassis and completely reworked Honda engine, but appeared to return to the dismal pre-season form of old after a string of troubles limited its mileage.