The story of the preseason testing in Formula One has been really two fold. On one hand, the stellar performance of Brawn GP has been surprising. On the other, the shockingly poor performance of McLaren Mercedes has been just as surprising.
The preseason tests have been surprisingly consistent. There was a period where the teams thrashed through initial problems and then started setting competitive times. As one would expect, Ferrari was at the top of the list. The odd thing was Brawn GP was ahead of them on that list while McLaren Mercedes was no where to be found as the team turned in times languishing at the bottom of the results.
The Brawn GP times appear a bit dubious, but many wonder about the legitimacy of the problems at McLaren. McLaren has had problems launching new cars before. They have a tendency of either getting the car horribly wrong or getting it just right. Who can forget the legendary MP4-18, which was so poor that it never even saw the track!
Many assumed McLaren Mercedes would be strong entering this year given the talents of Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Driver's Champion. The subtle question few mentioned was whether Hamilton could develop a car. It was only when the controversial Fernando Alonso came on board in the 2007 season that McLaren caught up to the pace of the Ferrari. Whether that was due to Alonso or some swiped Ferrari data is anyone's guess. Regardless, the current team of engineers and drivers at McLaren has never developed a new car to the extent required by that new rules and regulations in Formula One.
Preseason testing has been cause for concern. The McLaren has been as much as three seconds off the pace of the front runners. Even with the new rules, that figure is a staggering one that can be nearly impossible to overcome in one season. The issue appears to be the rear wing on the car. Regardless, the debate about whether McLaren really have problems or not has been a lively one with nobody really knowing until the season starts in Australia in late March.
The good news for McLaren fans is the team put up a competitive time today in testing. While all other teams except Williams have completed their testing, McLaren was still at it. The time was 1:18.202. This is about half a second off the best laps being put down by other teams. Half a second is a manageable gap. Given the fact the lap was put down by the unimpressive Heikki Kovalainen, one can surmise that Lewis Hamilton will be just fine with the new car.
Does this mean McLaren is in the clear? Nobody knows. The entire 2009 grid is a complete unknown and that is great! All the teams are starting from the same point for the first time in years and that means a boatload of excitement. A betting man would be crazy to imagine McLaren will not be right there at the front competing with Ferrari and the like.
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