What do we think of the midfield pack then? Obviously there's still two weeks until the first race and plenty of updates still to come, but it's looking like another excellent, compact battle. I thought I'd while away the time posting a few short thoughts of my own, given we should have had a race to look forward to tomorrow.
I fear Force India have been cast adrift. They have lost several key team members and have not done anything impressive in testing. Hopefully they've not concentrated on low fuel runs, but I can't help but feel that they just don't have the ability to keep up with the midfield in the long term. Unless they can attract exciting young design talent I can see them becoming the new Minardi - plucky, but slow. It's probably Sutil's last chance in this team - while he's clearly a decent driver, he's not shown himself to be quick enough, often enough. Will they be genuinely challenged by Lotus this season? If so, it will have been a dramatic slide for them, and once more worrying for their future.
Mercedes have clearly taken a big leap forward in Barcelona... but most teams will have updates for Melbourne... have Mercedes peaked too early? Two strong drivers, and the ever-anonymous Rosberg will probably still have the edge over Schumacher, but they're not going to challenge for the title and probably not race wins - podiums are about as high as I can see them getting.
Renault I'm in two minds about. They've clearly been bold over the winter, but so far the car doesn't look to be the most consistent performer, and I can well imagine such a design being excellent on some tracks (being third fastest), while struggling at others (falling behind into being the fifth or sixth fastest car). Clearly the loss of Kubica is a huge dent to their hopes, and now they've no 'drivers driver' able to outperform the car, but if the car is quick, it will speak for itself on some tracks - Silverstone will show in great clarity if the aerodynamics are as strong as they are brave.
Sauber ought to have taken a step forward with James Key's influence continuing to impress, but still with a relatively bare car, you worry about the rate of development. They've had a decent pre-season, so let's hope they haven't flattered to deceive in order to attract sponsorship, as they did last year.
Toro Rosso have undoubtedly made a step forward. They look to have a strong base and decent pace, but I still have doubts over the drivers - it's a make or break year for Buemi in particular.
Williams have aimed to do the same as McLaren did - cleared a path to the rear end - but gone about it with some common sense and a lot of aggression. The result is that they look to be the strongest they've been for some years, pushing for points in every race. Can they be close to McLaren in the first races? Rubens might, but I'm willing to put money on Maldonado spinning out in Albert Park, though he'll be fun to watch this year, if not a great performer. A bit of a Sato or a Petrov? Flashes of brilliance dominated by mediocrity and mistakes?