O que a SkySports viu dos testes de inverno 2013: MERCEDES

Nico e Hamilton: Novo time da Mercedes

MERCEDES

Well, well, so what do we have here? Having been reasonably impressive during the opening salvoes at Jerez and Barcelona, the W04 suddenly burst to prominence on the final weekend in Catalonia when first Lewis Hamilton, and then Nico Rosberg, set the fastest times of the winter. Cue gravity-defying eyebrows and bookmakers slashing Mercedes' championship odds.

In reality, with Rosberg all-but admitting that his time of 1:20.130 - which was set on a qualy-style, one-flying lap run - was as fast as the W04 could go, projecting Mercedes as serious title contenders is still premature. They've only proved themselves in testing; the battles which start on March 17 are what really count. Yet it's hard not to wonder just how good this car might be - and even harder not to be excited about the prospect of a competitive Hamilton a year ahead of predicted schedule.

"We will definitely be able to win a race at some point," conceded Mercedes' new recruit after giving up on his attempts to calm the excitement generated by his stunning turn of speed on his last appearance before Melbourne.

The critical question of whether the Mercedes can sustain such impressive pace when the sun truly shines is still unanswered and until the W04 proves it isn't a tyre eater in the manner of its predecessor then they will remain title outsiders. Some strong runs on the medium tyre for both drivers across the final weekend, however, certainly offered encouragement.

Above all else, the welcome impression remains that Mercedes are a definite threat to the elite, which after the way their 2012 dismally petered out, is already more than most were expecting. Indeed, while we might not know the amount of fuel Rosberg's car was carrying when he set his 1:20.1 lap, it is a fact that his fastest lap in qualifying for last year's Spanish GP at Barcelona was two seconds slower at 1:22.8. Now are you impressed?

( Fonte: http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1)

Bjuss, Tati