Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

The new front wings reduce downforce - or, at least, they do initially. So the teams have been looking for ways of getting it back, and therefore recovering as much out-wash effect as possible.

Which brings us back to the Alfa Romeo front wing - and the Ferrari’s, for that matter, because the designs are similar. The idea is simply to persuade the air to flow into the areas it used to last year, which with a straightforward reading of the new regs, it would not. Because of the new rules, front wing development is likely to be one of the areas where most technical development takes place. And, as always happens, sooner or later all the teams will likely converge on one solution. The question right now is, which one?

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Eagle-eyed readers who have studied the new cars may have noticed that the Alfa Romeo has an unusual-looking front wing, in the way the elements behind the main plane slope from a high mid-point to a lower level at the outside edge. The background to this is the rule change governing front wings this season, which has made them wider and simpler. The idea is to improve racing by enabling cars to follow more closely behind other cars. And the way rule makers hope that happens, technically speaking, is by reducing the so-called out-wash effect of the front wing.

Out-wash - forcing the airflow around the outside of the front wheels - enhances aerodynamics by energising the vortices of air that flow around the car and create downforce. Imagine a big, curving airstream, that flows off the front wing, around the front wheels, around the outside of the sidepods and then back between the rear wheels, particularly under the floor and out of the diffuser. It's great for the downforce of the car it's on, but very bad for the car behind.

Slightly different to the rest, no?

Andrew Benson has more...

More from Toto Wolff speaking in a press conference: “It is a major concern for us and should be for anyone who works out of the UK. The way we work is just in time and any major disruption with borders can massively damage the F1 industry in the UK. We are a German car brand that has its headquarters in the UK.

"We will have 26 different nationalities in our team, many EU citizens and there is uncertainty if the industry is going to be impacted by a no-deal Brexit or a Brexit that is damaging to what is one of the outstanding industries in the UK. It is the mother of all messes.

“F1 team operators are not politicians and as team operators and businessmen you will always think that rational thinking is going to prevail and eventually protect an industry or protect the British economy. What we are seeing at least, F1 feels very much exposed to the decisions that could be made on a political level and that is a risk for our people and a risk for the industry.”

1. Vettel 1:18.161 (122)
2. Raikkonen 1:19.483 (75)
3. Verstappen 1:19.600 (88)
4. Kvyat 1:19.901 (50)
5. Perez 1:19.944 (30)
6. Grosjean 1:20.094 (30)
7. Bottas 1:20.127 (69)
8. Hamilton 1:20.135 (40)
9. Sainz 1:20.430 (69)
10. Hulkenberg 1:20.980 (65)
11. Ricciardo 1:21.253 (19)

Right, an important point to note about what Toto Wolff said:

"A team order is always a controversial topic - we discussed it last year, but coming out with it at the beginning at the season is a strong statement." - Yes. Team orders are always a controversial topic.

Ferrari have said they will prioritise Sebastian Vettel if necessary, for the first part of the season. But Mercedes made a "strong statement" in Russia by implementing team orders for Hamilton to pass his team-mate Valtteri Bottas - who led from pole - to take the victory and gain valuable championship points.

Arguably, didn't they favour Lewis Hamilton for the entire year?

The decision was controversial at the time, and many of you discussed whether team orders ruins the sport, or whether it is a necessary evil for the greater good.

And, on the subject of Ferrari, they're top of the board today by quite a margin, and last year they also started off the year strong but ended weak. It's going to be an interesting season for Ferrari with a new management structure, especially with Mattia Binotto, who has been within the team's set-up for some time. Stay tuned...

Image source, PA

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Things are not looking good for Williams. The team had already been forced to abandon first a shakedown and then running on the first day of testing because the car was not ready, and now it looks like they are going to miss the second day of testing as well.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams said in a statement on Monday that it was “looking more likely than not” that the car would not run until “Wednesday at the earliest”. Missing a quarter of pre-season testing is bad news for a team that finished last of 10 teams last year. It’s early days, but this is looking like it could be a bad omen.

Whispers have been creeping out of the team for a while that the new car will not be the step forward hoped for after such a dismal season in 2018, and that new title sponsor - Rokit - might end up being a name laden with irony. When the car does eventually run, Williams will be hoping to prove that is not the case.

Daniel Ricciardo is out in his new car. Is yellow his colour? Get involved via #bbcf1

1. Vettel 1:18.161 (105 laps)
2. Raikkonen 1:19.483 (60)
3. Verstappen 1:19.600 (60)
4. Perez 1:19.944 (25)
5. Bottas 1:20.127 (69)
6. Sainz 1:20.430 (58)
7. Hamilton 1:20.521 (17)
8. Hulkenberg 1:20.980 (65)
9. Grosjean 1:21.500 (18)
10. Kvyat 1:21.732 (35)
11. Ricciardo 1:22.637 (5)

Ryan Hendry: The fact that Williams are only saying that their car will not run until Wednesday “At the earliest”, suggests to me they may not even make Wednesday. Going to be a long season for Williams, I think. Sad to see such a great team in the mess it currently is.

Callum Barrington: The Haas really does remind of the 2012/2013 Lotus, sleek and elegant. I don't suppose we could unite Kimi and Romain for old times' sake?

Daniel: The Ferrari is going quickly but it's only as good as the man driving it. Could be a make or break season for Vettel.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, speaking in a press conference says: "Its always good to be disciplined. We are all looking at lap times but it's not the purpose of these tests - it's about going through the data and testing the parts. Sebastian Vettel's time was quicker than everyone else and the Ferrari has been going strong this morning.

"I don't know, I think Mattia (Binotto, Ferrari team principal) has a tremendous past in F1 and I believe he wants to do it his own way. A team order is always a controversial topic - we discussed it last year, but coming out with it at the beginning at the season is a strong statement.

"I've known Mattia for a long time, first as the engine boss, and then as technical director, and now he's team principal. I respect him, he's a very intelligent man, and he knows how to manoeuvre his way through the paddock. He will be a force to be reckoned with."

Carlos Sainz is out of the car walking back to the garage - not something drivers particularly want to do. He says: "I don't know what's wrong with it yet. It's been a good day so far, and we covered all the run plan for the morning..."

Red flagpublished at 13:56 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2019

13:56 GMT 18 February 2019

Red flag, as Carlos Sainz grinds to a halt in the new MCL34 McLaren.

The steering wheel is out, and the session is suspended, as the car put on the rescue truck and taken back to the garage. Once again Max Verstappen is stopped short of a lap due to a red flag today.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

The car is still at the team’s factory in Grove, Oxfordshire, and the current hope is that it will be ready to fly to Spain late on Tuesday.

That means it is unlikely at this stage that the car will run first thing Wednesday morning, but the team are hoping to get it out on to the track at some stage that day.

The delay is leading to speculation about the future of chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who joined from Mercedes in 2017 and is ultimately responsible for the car.

Just as concerning for Williams, insiders say the car does not look like it will be quick when it does finally hit the track.

Sources say the car is projected to be as much as two seconds slower than last year’s, which was already the slowest on the grid.

Rule changes to front wings have reduced downforce but many teams have clawed a large part of it back.

If the word from inside the team is accurate, Williams could be facing a season adrift of the rest of the field.

Hamilton posts a 1:24.634, which puts him in 10th (last) currently after his first lap. He's back in the pit lane for a little while with some Flo-Vis on his Mercedes.

Flo-Vis is a type of paint which is applied to certain areas of the car before it goes out for a lap or two. The paint runs as the air flows over the car, to give the team an indication of the direction of airflow, and where they can improve aerodynamics overall.

Saub... I mean Alfa Romero unveiled their 'new' livery earlier. It's almost the same as last year, but different to their Valentine's Day livery to the normal. What do we think?

Same rules apply, thumbs up, thumbs down or tweet #bbcf1 for a comment.

Image source, Alfa Romeo Twitter

Image source, Alfa Romeo Twitter

Image source, Alfa Romeo Twitter

Hamilton fans will be pleased to know he is out on the track in his new W10 EQ Power.