According to Ferrari’s former test driver Pedro de la Rosa, Ferrari did not show there true pace in Barcelona after demonstrating good speed and setting chart topping times in Jerez during the first test:
“They were very fast in Jerez, then they held something back in Barcelona which was deliberate.” De la Rosa claims.
The former F1 driver, who left Ferrari at the end of 2014 following the departure of his fellow compatriot Fernando Alonso, had the opportunity to test Ferrari’s 2015 challenger in the simulator at the end of 2014. He was left impressed by the clear improvements of the SF15-T compared to its predecessor, the F14 T which finished a disappointing 4th in the constructors last year:
“I was testing the car in the last week of December and I knew the 2015 car was going to be strong. Right after that it was clear that it also works very well in reality.”
Despite Ferrari’s improvements, the Spanish driver expects Mercedes to be in a class of their own and continue their dominance from 2014:
“The dominance of Mercedes is worrying… they are expected to have a big margin over the rest in Australia. I am not sure how Mercedes could be defeated. If I were to bet, I would put all my money on Mercedes.”
Amir Hussain
