British driver Jolyon Palmer has admitted he is baffled by the staggering pre-season form displayed by Lewis Hamilton's world championship-winning Mercedes team.
Formula One imposed radical changes to its technical regulations over the winter in a bid to spice up a show which has been dominated by Mercedes for the past three seasons.
But while the cars are noticeably different in their appearance, the early signs are that Mercedes, who have won 51 of the last 59 races, will continue to be the team to beat after boasting incredible reliability with suitable pace to match.
After the opening two days of testing no other team has completed more laps of the Circuit de Catalunya than Mercedes with mileage considered a greater importance than raw speed at this stage of the campaign.
Hamilton and his new team-mate Valtteri Bottas managed 162 laps on Tuesday, 54 more than Kimi Raikkonen and nearly double that of the Red Bull driven by Max Verstappen.
"I can't understand how Mercedes are doing so many laps on day one and day two when the car is completely new with the different regulations," said Palmer, who is starting his second season in the sport with Renault.
"That is impressive, especially when you look at not only us, but the rest of the field and everyone is doing 50 to 60 laps.
"I don't think it is a surprise that they are going to be near the front."
Palmer, the only other British driver on the Formula One grid this season after Jenson Button retired from the sport, got his first taste of pre-season action here in Barcelona.
The 26-year-old from Horsham missed the morning session after Renault fitted new parts on their car which arrived overnight.
But Palmer, who scored a solitary point in his debut campaign, took to the track after lunch and completed 53 laps, finishing 3.1 seconds adrift of Raikkonen's best lap.
"I have no idea where we are going to be, but I am quite happy with the car," Palmer added.
"I think we have made some good steps and I feel like we are better. We are in a much better ball park this year but I don't know where we are in terms of the competition."
Palmer will return to action on Wednesday morning with his new team-mate Nico Hulkenberg taking over from the Briton after lunch.
Source: PA
