Day 1 program:

• The morning program included system and electronic checks, with all cars running several installation laps before posting some times. 
• Before lunch time, teams conducted several aero measurements. Most teams ran the typical 4 to 5 laps, pitting and heading out again for another 4 to 5 laps. Several cars featured flow-vis paint to gather data on aero elements: sidepods, front and rear wings, DRS, etc. 
• After lunch time, setup work was the primary focus, followed by another round of aero testing. Several cars conducted straight line tests, which involves letting the car flow in a straight line without accelerating. All teams practiced pit lane starts.
• Late in the afternoon, teams were experimenting with slightly longer runs, with Mark Webber and Romain Grosjean doing as much as 11 laps per stint.  

Day 1 highlights:

• First red flag caused by Jenson Button. The McLaren suffered a fuel pump failure and stopped on the track. The issue was resolved late in the afternoon.
• Second red flag caused by Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes suffered an electrical failure and stopped on the track. The issue was not resolved and the team lost the rest of the day with Rosberg completing just 11 laps. 
• Third red flag caused by Max Chilton. The Marussia suffered a suspension failure and the car spun into the gravel, hitting the barriers. It suffered enough damage for the team to end their test day.

Day 1 impressions:

• McLaren did a low fuel run in the final hour and posted the fastest time, which suggests that the car has the potential pace of its predecessor. Reliability problems still seem to be a concern for the team. 
• Red Bull did a medium fuel run in the final hour, and Mark Webber recorded the second fastest time, 0.800s off the pace. An encouraging sign for the team, with no problems so far like in last year's testing. 
• Lotus completed a rather average 54 laps, but the car does look as good as last year. Grosjean posted a quick time in the morning when temperatures and grip levels were low, which suggests that the car still has the pace from last season. 
• Force India showed signs of potential for speed and reliability. Paul di Resta completed a mammoth 89 laps, most of anyone in the session, with quite consistent times and reliability. 
• Toro Rosso also showed signs of life with Ricciardo finishing 5th and running a respectable 70 laps without any problems. 
• Ferrari kept a low profile with the team stating that they were not looking for quick laps. Massa stated that the car is miles better from last year, and from the times it certainly looks that way. 
• Caterham and Marussia still seem a very long way off the pace finishing 3 and 4 seconds respectively off the pace. 

Jerez, Day 1: Jenson Button sets fastest time on first day

McLaren showed a glimpse of their pace in Jerez, after Jenson Button topped the timesheets on hard tyres. Mark Webber was second on medium tyres, followed by Grosjean on hards.

It was a busy first day in Jerez with a total of three red flags. The first two happened in the morning, and were caused by Button's fuel pump issue in the McLaren and Rosberg's stopping Mercedes. The third red flag was caused by Max Chilton's barrier hit in the late afternoon, after the Marussia suffered a suspension failure. 

Mercedes was forced to call it a day and end the test earlier than expected, after a serious electrical problem. Jenson Button's car was in the garage for most of the day, but stormed out for a late run in the afternoon. 

Red Bull kept a relatively low profile for most of the day, until Webber set the fastest time in the final hour of testing. It made be the shape of things to come as the team aims to defend its title for the fourth year in a row. He was later beaten by Button's blistering 1:18.

Ferrari were conducting aero measurements with Massa behind the wheel and made it clear that they were not looking for setting fast times. Lotus conducted a relatively trouble-free shakedown and topped the table for most of the day with Romain Grosjean. 

The rest of the teams ran a smooth program and most were conducting aero tests and opted for short runs, which is a typical routine in the early days of pre-season testing. 

Jerez, Day 1: Mercedes hits trouble, ending test day early

The Mercedes team has been forced to end its first day of 2013 Formula 1 testing early after being hit by problems in the morning.

Nico Rosberg had managed just 11 laps with the new W04 before the car stopped on track, causing the second red flag of the day.

Mercedes spent the morning trying to identify the problem and has announced that it will not be running any more on Tuesday. 

"After identifying the cause of the problem, we will not be running again today whilst parts are modified ready for tomorrow," said the team. "The part which requires modification is the wiring loom where the electrical fault originated this morning."

Rosberg's new team-mate Lewis Hamilton is scheduled to make his on-track debut with the team tomorrow morning.

Jerez, Day 1: Grosjean and Lotus fastest in the morning

Romain Grosjean set the early morning pace in Jerez with a 1:19.796s  beating Paul di Resta in the Force India and Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso. 

It was a quick start to the first test in Jerez this morning, as cars were popping out for system checks, which is a common way to start pre-season testing. Three laps in and we already had our first red flag. Jenson Button's McLaren stopped on track due to a fuel pump issue, and the team didn't go out for the rest of the morning. 

Jerez, Day 1: Button's car came to a halt after three laps.

Mercedes also had a problem with Nico Rosberg. The car's rear end burst out in flames and had to stop on track which caused the second red flag of the session. Lotus also faced their series of problems with Grosjean completing only 15 laps in the beginning due to a heating issue on the bodywork. The team revealed later that it was a mild problem and the Frenchman came out banging for pace. 

Jerez, Day 1: Rosberg's car catches fire during installation run

Caterham and Marussia launched their cars during testing as the newcomers made their debut with Max Chilton and Van der Garde running 21 laps. 

Williams were running with last year's car, although the front and rear wings, as well as the nose were relatively new. As their car wasn't subject to any system checks, they ran the most laps in favor of testing new aerodynamic elements. Their new car will debut in Barcelona. 

Ferrari and Red Bull kept a relatively low profile, with Felipe Massa a second off the pace and Mark Webber two seconds slower. The big teams are not known for showing off with fast times in testing, so their pace was not at all worrying or uncommon.

Short runs were the main theme this morning. Most cars opted for 4 to 5 laps per run, pitting, doing system checks, and going out for another burst of 5 laps. The longest run was Mark Webber's, the Australian doing a string of 11 laps. Track temperature peaked at 30 degrees Celsius, with air temperature around 15 degrees, which is pretty much what we'll get for the rest of the day.  

Reading too much into these times is completely worthless. The first day of testing is usually dedicated to system and reliability checks. Making sure that the new cars are safe to run is the first step of testing. Later on, teams will focus on understanding the new Pirelli tyres and testing the new aerodynamic elements. We will get only half of the full picture of who stands where in Barcelona. 

Jerez 2013 F1 Testing: Who drives when?

The first pre-season test begins at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Southern Spain on Tuesday morning as Formula 1 comes back to life after a relatively short winter break. Here is the full schedule for the first four days of testing. 

The test lasts for four days and features all eleven teams. Every team bar Williams will run their 2013 car, although they will unveil their 2013 livery.

Caterham and Marussia will also unveil their CT03 and MR-02 in the pit lane on Tuesday morning.

Mercedes & Toro Rosso launch new Formula 1 cars in Jerez

Nico Rosberg took the new W04 Mercedes for a spin during a filming day in Jerez, followed by the official car launch in the afternoon. Hamilton later completed a shakedown as well.

The car was first seen as Nico Rosberg was driving on the circuit with new team-mate Lewis Hamilton taking photographs trackside as Mercedes announced a new partnership with BlackBerry. Following the morning's filming the car was officially launched by both drivers on the start/finish straight.

The new car makes use of the vanity panel to cover the stepped nose, while the team has also reverted back to Coanda-effect exhausts having ditched the system at the end of the 2012 season.

Having watched Rosberg behind the wheel all morning, Hamilton said he was looking forward to his turn driving the car in the afternoon.

"I am [excited] I could barely sleep last night!" Hamilton said. "It's quite an exciting day for us - the launch of a new car - and to be team-mates with Nico; we were just saying how crazy it is because we used to be team-mates back in 2000 when we were go-karting so it's a dream for me to be back here as his team-mate.

"It looks beautiful. It's a lovely car, I'm just excited to get in it ... I'm just really excited to get in and see what it feels like."

Toro Rosso has revealed their challenger for the 2013 Formula One season. The STR8, the team’s eighth creation, will be driven by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean Eric Vergne. Toro Rosso slipped to ninth in the championship in 2012 and recruited technical director James Key.

Formula 1 pre-season testing begins in Jerez

It's been a long winter break for some, and a tight schedule for others. Nevertheless, it's go time. The new season gets underway as the busy bees arrive in Jerez for the first round of a series of pre-season testing. 

After a series of launches kicked off last week, it's time to relocate. Spain will host three rounds of testing: one in Jerez and the rest in Barcelona at the Circuit of Catalunya. Most of the teams have already arrived at the scene, and are making final preparations for Tuesday's green light. Mercedes, Toro Rosso, Caterham and Marussia will launch their cars in Jerez, while Williams  opted to skip the party and debut in Barcelona instead. 

Another big news that hit the media last week was that Fernando Alonso will be skipping the first round of testing. Newly recruited Pedro de la Rosa will take his place as the Spaniard decided to focus on physical preparation for the new season. Alonso will drive the new Ferrari for the first time in Barcelona. 

All eyes will surely be on Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez during these tests. The two drivers have swapped teams this season, with Hamilton moving to Mercedes and Checo to McLaren. Both drivers will surely need time to adjust to new conditions and the new cars. The world will also be watching the newcomers this season: Esteban Gutierrez for Sauber, Giedo van der Garde for Caterham and Max Chilton for Marussia. 

Force India and Marussia are yet to announce their second drivers. Announcements are imminent and we might find out who's driving where before the pits open on Tuesday. 


Pre-season testing

1st Test - Jerez, February 5-8
2nd Test - Barcelona, February 19-22
3rd Test - Barcelona, February 28-March 3