Timo Glock was at 104.9% of the pole time at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, front of the back grid of new teams. Two years later, in Melbourne, Heikki Kovalainen was at 104.4% of the pole time.
Two years later.
Back then Glock was two seconds down on the other Q1 drop-out, Jaime Alguersuari. Today Kovalainen was about a second down on Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus (and a further tenth from the next soft-tyred runner, Felipe Massa). This on a much shorter circuit than Bahrain's "endurance" layout.
Virgin/Marussia have most probably gone relatively backwards since that 2010 début, and HRT have yet again failed to qualify for the opener (having been saved by the lack of a 107% rule in 2010).
Caterham, admittedly, have made some progress in the last two years, but they're still 2.5 seconds down on the best Q1 lap - of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, a car unlikely to be in title contention. However, that is still a meagre return on two entire years of planning.
The question has to be asked, will these three projects ever see any return for their investors, and will any of them ever make their way on to the back of midfield in qualifying? Andhow long will it take for us to stop referring to 'new' teams? Only when their performance is good enough, I'm afraid, and I'm sad to say it appears they'll be 'new' teams for yet another season.
Two years later.
Back then Glock was two seconds down on the other Q1 drop-out, Jaime Alguersuari. Today Kovalainen was about a second down on Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus (and a further tenth from the next soft-tyred runner, Felipe Massa). This on a much shorter circuit than Bahrain's "endurance" layout.
Virgin/Marussia have most probably gone relatively backwards since that 2010 début, and HRT have yet again failed to qualify for the opener (having been saved by the lack of a 107% rule in 2010).
Caterham, admittedly, have made some progress in the last two years, but they're still 2.5 seconds down on the best Q1 lap - of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, a car unlikely to be in title contention. However, that is still a meagre return on two entire years of planning.
The question has to be asked, will these three projects ever see any return for their investors, and will any of them ever make their way on to the back of midfield in qualifying? Andhow long will it take for us to stop referring to 'new' teams? Only when their performance is good enough, I'm afraid, and I'm sad to say it appears they'll be 'new' teams for yet another season.
