James Vowles has raised question marks over Ferrari’s ‘outright pace’ after the first pre-season test in Barcelona, although the Williams team principal did praise the ‘consistency’ demonstrated by the SF-26’s debut track outing.

Williams were absent from the behind-closed-doors test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week, instead opting to carry out a virtual test at their base back in Grove while their 10 F1 rivals hit the road for the first time.

Ferrari weathered their three-day test without any significant issues. However, it was the Mercedes W17 that caught the attention of most after a noisy off-season. At the same time, the Aston Martin AMR26, the team’s first car designed by Adrian Newey, also attracted eyes with its unique design features.

Giving his assessment of the early contenders after following pre-season from afar, Vowles said: “I’ve been really impressed with Red Bull, especially on the power unit side. To do a power unit from scratch and turn up to be that reliable is mighty.

“Well done to them. Number two, Ferrari’s consistency. Perhaps the outright pace is in question, but the consistency is really impressive for them again from the get-go.

“And Mercedes always. I’ve been there for a long time, they’re very good at getting regulation change right and walking out with a package that’s just robust and reliable. But if you are doing a race sim just about a day into testing, it’s very, very impressive.”

Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton aren’t kidding themselves heading into the seven-time world champion’s sophomore year with the Scuderia, but the 41-year-old Brit was pleased with the dedication and commitment shown by his team-mates during the offseason.

“I mean, we’re under no illusions,” Hamilton explained after testing in Montmelo. “We know we’ve got work to do. Mercedes have done great running as well. “I think Red Bull and Haas did some great running as well, so we don’t really know where we are, but I think it’s a solid first week and we can really build from here. 

“So there may be some big leaps that we’re going to need to take. Development’s going to be key. Just really making sure we leave no stone unturned and we’re just really clear and concise with our communication and the decisions we take. It’s going to take all of us to be at our best. I’m just seeing that everyone’s really coming with new energy this year, which is great.”