Toto Wolff admits Ferrari 'really fast'

Toto Wolff the Mercedes GP Executive Director looks on from the pitwall during day four of Formula One Winter Testing at the Circuito de Jerez on January 31, 2014
© Getty Images
Toto Wolff says that it is too soon to say Mercedes are still ahead of the field in 2017.

Toto Wolff has said that it is too soon to say Mercedes are still ahead of the field in 2017.

After the first of just two pre-season tests, the conventional wisdom is that Mercedes lead, Ferrari are close behind, and Red Bull are the third force.

However, Mercedes team boss Wolff told Osterreich: "Since we have these new rules, the teams are just trying to get a lot of mileage to know their cars.

"At Red Bull, we probably haven't seen the car that will be in Melbourne. But Ferrari is really fast."

McLaren chief Eric Boullier admits that a pecking order is not possible to assess after four days of running, but he said Ferrari's pace has been "surprising".

"We did not expect to see them on the pace with the Mercedes. Red Bull seems a little behind, but we do not have all of the information to judge," he is quoted as saying by France's Auto Hebdo.

"We may know a little more next week, but we really have to wait until Australia."

Boullier may be surprised with what he saw in Barcelona, but Red Bull's Max Verstappen seemed calm.

"Actually, nothing surprised me here," he is quoted as saying by Het Laatste Nieuws. "And I think everything is still within reach for us."

The 2017 calendar commences with the Australian Grand Prix on March 26.

Dr Helmut Marko looks on in the garage during practice for the Austria Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring on June 19, 2015
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1Mercedes765
2Red Bull460
3Ferrari398
4Force India173
5Williams-Mercedes138
6McLaren76
7Toro Rosso71
8Haas28
9Renault8
10Sauber2
11Manor1
DriversTeamPoints
1Nico RosbergMercedes385
2Lewis HamiltonMercedes380
3Daniel RicciardoRed Bull256
4Sebastian VettelFerrari212
5Max VerstappenRed Bull204
6Kimi RaikkonenFerrari186
7Sergio PerezForce India101
8Valtteri BottasWilliams-Mercedes85
9Nico HulkenbergForce India72
10Fernando AlonsoMcLaren54
11Felipe MassaWilliams-Mercedes53
12Carlos SainzToro Rosso46
13Romain GrosjeanHaas28
14Daniil KvyatToro Rosso25
15Jenson ButtonMcLaren21
16Kevin MagnussenRenault7
17Felipe NasrSauber2
18Pascal WehrleinManor1
19Jolyon PalmerRenault1
20Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren1
21Rio HaryantoManor0
22Esteban OconManor0
23Marcus EricssonSauber0
24Esteban GutierrezHaas0