Mercedes: still the team to beat

The two weeks of winter testing in Barcelona highlighted the consistency, reliability, and impressive lap speed of the Mercedes cars, which are already causing concern among their rivals. Will this be enough to crown them favorites for the season?

The pattern in Formula 1 remains largely unchanged: performance evolves in cycles. After Ferrari's dominance in the early 2000s and Red Bull's in the early 2010s, Mercedes has been in first place for two seasons, and 2016 looks set to confirm this trend. During eight days of testing at the Barcelona circuit, the Silver Arrows have already shown a clear advantage. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg completed 1,294 laps together, covering more than 6,000 km, without encountering any major reliability issues. Neither driver sought to break any absolute records, foregoing the perfect configuration of an empty tank and ultra-soft tires, which should be cause for concern for their main rivals, particularly Ferrari. Ferrari began the winter with hopes of shifting into high gear. After a transitional 2015 in which the team, bolstered by Sebastian Vettel, won the three races it had planned, the Scuderia now needs to be more aggressive. It cannot be content with consistently finishing half a second behind Mercedes; the gap must be reduced, and Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen must be able to regularly challenge Hamilton and Rosberg for victories, not just when circumstances are favorable. The Maranello team certainly demonstrated its intentions by dominating the timesheets throughout testing in Spain, but it will need to step up its efforts when Mercedes shifts into high gear for the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia on March 20. Beyond Ferrari, few teams seem capable of challenging Mercedes for the championship. Williams still has a long way to go after a mediocre 2015 season, and the promising performances of Force India, Red Bull, and Toro Rosso this winter are likely to be flashes in the pan rather than lasting threats. Ultimately, the biggest unknown for Mercedes could come from within. The relationship between Hamilton and Rosberg will be closely scrutinized: the German, still hungry for revenge, is already waging a psychological battle against his teammate, while Rosberg, clearly the team's number one driver, has to cope with additional pressure. This internal rivalry could be the only factor capable of derailing the men in gray.