Pre-season data: 'Mercedes three-tenths quicker than Red Bull'

After six days of running at the Circuit de Catalunya, the teams return to their respective bases with a mountain of data and information. It's now up to them to make as many tweaks and improvements as they can on their challengers before the season kicks off next week with the Australian Grand Prix.

Auto Motor und Sport made a comparison from the long-runs all teams did in Barcelona while taking into account the fuel load and compounds. Based on the GPS data, they made an estimation of where each team is compared to one another.

Mercedes vs. Red Bull

The first thing that jumps off the pace is that the gap between the quickest and slowest team is 'just' 1.7 seconds, a relatively small number compared to previous seasons. Williams, who are still the slowest team according to this data, are just a single tenth off the pace too from ninth-placed Alfa Romeo Racing. A remarkable leap forward from the Grove-based side.

At the front of the pack, unsurprisingly, are Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have won the last six double championships and looked like the well-oiled machine they have been for the bigger part of last decade. The much-discussed DAS system should give them an extra edge too compared to their competitors.

Speaking of which, AMuS think it's Aston Martin Red Bull Racing who are the closest challengers to Mercedes. The Bulls are three-tenths off the pace while Ferrari are six-tenths back. While a lot of people think the Italian team are sandbagging and playing mind games, this data shows they actually are not at the races in 2020. Can Red Bull out-develop Mercedes as the year goes on and grab their first title since 2013?

Tight midfield battle

Ferrari already said they see Racing Point as a threat, and indeed the Pink Panthers are just two-tenths off the Scuderia and just 0.8 seconds behind Mercedes. The RP20 has been on the end of much criticism for being awfully similar to the W10, Mercedes' championship-winning car from 2019, but it does put Racing Point at the top of midfield as it stands.

Behind them are McLaren, who led the midfield in 2019, closely followed by Renault. The gap between McLaren and Haas in eighth is just four-tenths per lap, indicating just how tight the midfield is going to be in the upcoming season. It will be all about who develops best, and who decides to pull the plug first to focus on the 2021 car.

Race pace at 2020 pre-season testing