TECHNICAL FOCUS

ANYONE EXPECTING A REAL SMORGASBORD OF upgrades for the second stint of pre-season Formula 1 testing at Barcelona was probably left a little disappointed, as the cars appeared with only minor changes between the two weeks.

There was no repeat of last year, when Mercedes notably turned up with a W10 completely rehashed from a week earlier, while other teams brought numerous items as they grappled with the new-for-2019 aero regulations. Speculation suggested that a couple of teams would perhaps try that approach this time around, but ultimately the second week lacked the overall technical intrigue that last year’s tests provided.

Perhaps, with a stable ruleset, teams are finding that the law of diminishing returns is beginning to bite. Although there were a few new parts peppered throughout the field in the final week, there were no innovations that could command the same column inches that Mercedes’