Haug: Impossible to judge - it's guesswork

Norbert Haug isn't at all worried about the pace set by Mercedes GP rivals, insisting it is not an indication of who is on top.

Despite being only a day and a half into the final pre-season test at Barcelona, some impressive times have already been set.

While Mark Webber was quickest by over a second on Thursday, Friday morning saw Fernando Alonso top Webber's time by 0.2s and lead the chasing back by almost 1.5s.

As for Merc's own drivers, Nico Rosberg was 1.027s off the pace on Thursday and Michael Schumacher was 4.510s down on Alonso's time after the opening hour on Friday.

Haug, though, isn't fazed, confident that times set during testing are not an indication of true pace.

"It's just impossible to judge - it's guesswork," he told Autosport. "If you have a 37-lap run for example, then you have a minimum fuel load - maybe 74 kilos. But that doesn't tell you the whole story because one guy could do the same run with 160.

"A difference of around 80 kilos could mean about three seconds per lap, but that's assuming the heavier guy can make the car work when they take the fuel out.

"With one set-up you have to deliver a low-fuel run and an absolutely maximum fuel run. That's a wide range, and it's very different to anything we've ever had in Formula 1.

"So you will probably find a car that is at the top of the times on low fuel, but is not so quick in race trim. That will make things pretty exciting."

Haug: Impossible to judge - it's guesswork - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com