5 Things We Learned From F1 Testing Week 1

#4 - Alfa Romeo Look Promising

Raikkonen returns to Sauber / Alfa Romeo for the first time since 2001.

Remember how I said that Antonio Giovinazzi was Ferrari's closest challenger in terms of adjusted lap time? Well, Alfa Romeo's first Formula 1 sessions since the 1980's have been very promising. Not only has their pace been impressive, but Alfa have also racked up a very impressive distance in terms of overall laps completed, with little mechanical trouble. Overall high mileage is arguably the most important thing to achieve in testing, as the more laps you complete, the more stress you put the machinery through and more likely you are to find any faults.

Aside from Mercedes and Ferrari, Alfa Romeo have completed the most laps of testing so far, 507 in total, over 7.5 Grands Prix distances. What's even more impressive, though, is their new line-up, Kimi Raikkonen and Giovinazzi being the perfect blend of youth and experience. No wonder expectations are high for the team that's on a sharp upwards trend since the start of last season, with some believing they could become the new "best of the rest" team.