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The first F1 pre-season test was not the best for all the teams. While some teams like Ferrari were seemingly able to hit the ground running and tick all the boxes, there were others for whom things didn't go to plan.
In this piece, we take a look at the teams that are desperate for a good pre-season test. These teams cannot afford to miss their markers this time around, especially with the first race of the season just a few days away.
#1 Alpine F1
After the first pre-season test, Alpine came out in defense of its performance in the sessions. The team felt that the high fuel running had masked the progress and competitiveness of the car. It is, however, also clear that the team had its engine turned down during the first two days. Further, for some reason, it never engaged the DRS during its running. What this points towards is the fact that the team was battling a few issues and hence could not run the car properly.
For the second test, the team will be hoping for a seamless outing where it can complete all the performance runs and doesn't face any glitches.
#2 Mercedes
The first F1 test at Barcelona wasn't a bad one for Mercedes. For a team that has dominated the sport for almost a decade, however, not coming out of the test as the clear front-runner is uncharted territory.
The team has shown an ability to bounce back when it faces adversity in the past. It has planned a major upgrade for the car and it will be interesting to see if it rockets the team to the front as the clear favorite. Mercedes will surely be hoping for that to be the case.
#3 Ferrari customer teams
Both Alfa Romeo and Haas had a below-par first F1 pre-season test. Both teams suffered from minor reliability issues that reduced the running of the cars to a minimum.
Haas has had other external factors play a role as well. The team has had to let go of its Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and hasn't announced a suitable replacement yet. For the second test, both the teams will be looking for a much cleaner run to develop a better understanding of their cars and find out where they stand in the F1 pecking order.
