Mercedes: Fast and bulletproof. Costa told me she isn’t a diva this year but might be a princess. Lewis said he doesn’t know her well enough to say. Bolted on track, reliable and we’ve not even seen it on hypers yet. Could be brutally quick and hard to beat.

Red Bull: Probably the best launch car for them in at least the last three years. Looks amazing through fast change of direction and is really good on its nose. PU only potential hold back but that will affect most in quali. Racing from 2nd row it may have the legs to match Merc

Ferrari: Headline times are all well and good but neither Seb nor Kimi seemed overly effusive in their hope for the year. Longer wheelbase mixed with high take may cause aero headaches. Still question marks over race pace. Few think it on the same level as the Merc or Red Bull.

Renault: Looked really stable trackside and for the most part ran reliably throughout testing. Some big upgrades already in the mix (front wing trialled on final days). Big push from team this year. Have to make leaps forward in aero as PU still comparatively weak.

Haas: The surprise of testing. Rival drivers say it looks very, very good out on track and tyre corrected lap times put it less than half a second off the Ferrari mothership. If that plays out to be true, Haas could be in the hunt for P4 in championship and podiums.

Toro Rosso: Highest mileage in the disrupted first week. Just 4 PU used in testing and 3 of those in week 1. Honda is coming good as many predicted with STR a de facto factory team. Mix that to a James Key car, and they could be right in the mix at the top of the midfield fight.

Force India: (or whatever they’re going to be called): Car looked solid on track but unimpressive. Drivers didn’t seem overjoyed either. It’s basically a 2017 upgrade with both drivers saying they hoped a proper new car is online for Australia. Pips McLaren on reliability alone.

McLaren: Wretched testing. Whether small issues creating big delays of big issues hidden as small you can’t get back lost time. And when car was running, pitstops a shambles. Headline quick laps on hypers fooling nobody. Boullier was short and clipped in interviews. He’s worried.

Williams: The car is reportedly an absolute dog to drive. It looks horrible on track, heavy, lazy and unresponsive. Can’t turn the tyres on. Drivers look brow beaten. It’s going to be a very hard season. Kubica, however, a breath of fresh air. Insight and experience could be key.

Sauber: New engine made Marcus very happy. Wider power band and more play on the throttle. Brand new aero and suspension concepts taking time to understand however. As such, important to stay on track and Leclerc too many offs. Potential is there but big work to understand car.