According to the racer of Mercedes, Ferrari is better than all teams prepared for tests 2019.
Racers of Ferrari regularly are on the top lines of the protocol on tests which began this week in Barcelona. Sebastian Vettel showed the best time on Monday, and Charles Leclair - on Tuesday.
You shouldn't do premature conclusions about speed, there is no exact information on in what mode the Scuderia uses the power unit, and about that, how many fuel at the racer onboard during any given attempt. Mercedes, in return, didn't focus on speed in the first three days, and only on Thursday Lewis Hamilton seriously added to the time.
However on Wednesday Hamilton recognized that Ferrari cars "very fast". His workmate in Mercedes Valtteri Bottas went further away and assumed that by Ferrari it was better prepared for the season-2019.
"They really look very strongly, - Bottas admitted. - Irrespective of how many they have fuels and as the engine is used.
We try to correct current situation. But they very fast - both on short pieces, and on long.
The impression is created that for today they a little ahead. But, of course, it is impossible to carry out detailed calculation".
Bottas emphasized that results of Mercedes on tests don't matter for team because " we have reference points, and it is not the protocol".
He added: "Of course, we look in the table. But we really want to focus on that limited time of tests which is. We want to focus on the car.
It is sure, in the pause between series of tests of team will better analyze the alignment of forces. It will be of great importance when we arrive to Melbourne. Everything depends on that, how effectively we will work on tests.
As I already told, Ferrari looks strongly. In it there are no doubts".
Bottas hopes that the powerful start of Ferrari induces to add Mercedes whose car isn't up to the end optimized.
Valtteri told: "I feel, in team all want to learn something else about the car and to improve it.
Now it is impossible to tell that we far ahead of all. Ferrari in the best situation. And it well motivates us".
Valtteri Bottas believes that to the first stage of the season the situation will change when teams modify cars. At the same time, according to him, it is impossible to claim that it by all means will help to bypass Ferrari.
"New rules started arms race. We don't think that someone will bring just the same car on the first stage, as on these tests. We and not the exception.
But we can't rely only on it, on the fact that in us there will be the updating. We need really to make the car better and quicker".