While the F1 field is preparing for the Australian GP and the teams are working enthusiastically on making the finishing touches, the fans are interested in whether the pre-season tests have provided realistic picture on the forces.
…and certainly the corona virus outbreak is also in the talks.
However, we try to focus on the sport side and asked Zoltán Szujó, F1 expert, to bring us up to speed before the season.
‘It is always difficult to reach conclusions only from the tests. Just think about that last year we said that Ferrari was going to beat everyone. And we all know what happened’ Zoltán Szujó said. ‘During the tests every team tries to look at where they are, but on the other side they also try to hide the real performance and not to show everything for the others. However, it already seems that the cars have become reliable, there was only a few stops due to mechanical problems during the six-day testing period. As of the ranking, it is already under way that Mercedes is the team to beat. Everyone is talking about the new steering system that will not be legal next year, but Mercedes has sent the message: it has the capacity to develop a revolutionary solution for only a one-year period. This is the essence of F1 for me, the continuous innovation, re-thinking the regulations and it is absolutely sensational. Mercedes completed the most laps during the tests, Hamilton covered the distance of six GPs during six days. He could only worry about some small technical issues of the engine. I think the second best team is Red Bull, even if they had several spins and off-track movements that foreshadow a relatively difficult handling, but probably the drivers were only pushing their limit. I would put Ferrari on third place, and I am also looking forward to seeing what Racing Point will be capable of, because they have copied last year’s Mercedes, certainly within the regulations.’
We were interested in what the popular TV-personality thought about the postponement and cancellation due to the corona virus outbreak.
‘Mattia Binotto, Team Principal of Ferrari, wants guaranties from Liberty, it is absolutely understandable, because he would not like the team members of Ferrari to be quarantined in Melbourne. Having cancelled the Moto GP in Qatar and postponed it in Thailand his request seems absolutely logical. In F1 Vietnam GP is also called into questions, and Bahrain GP is a fine line, too, so we must take the whole issue seriously regarding the first three GPs, especially that the Chinese GP has already been postponed, or even finally cancelled.’
