Eh?
If memory serves me correct the Brawn released their car very late. And in the very first test, they went fastest. They then continued to dominate any test sessions they attended.
I remember in an interview, J.Button stated that the above was the case and in the excitement he phoned his father to tell him about it, when he went fastest, on the very first test.
Pretty much whatever occurred in pre season testing in 2009, continued on when racing proper began. There was no sand-bagging. There was no hiding speed and all the other nonsense that we hear of.
When drivers go out there, they go out there to impress - not only themselves, but also the watching public, their own team-mates and their bosses. To sandbag would require a level of self confidence that probably only MS had when he was at his peak, safe in the knowledge that he would get preferential treatment from his team, no matter what.
McLaren (during preseason testing, 2009) were struggling. Everybody, including myself, felt that once the season proper starts, they would up their game. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
In general, whatever we see happen in pre-season testing, is followed through into the first few races of the season. In saying this, what we have seen is only the first test of the season, so it is too early to tell.
What we do know is that Ferrari have produced a very fast car, though we can expect the car advantage to vary from circuit to circuit (ie. some cars will dominate on short, tight, twisty circuits, while other cars will dominate on open, long-straighted, power circuits).
I think its also safe to say that Alonso is going to attempt to "break" Massa as soon as possible and get the entire Ferrari team behind his World Championship campaign. He has shown his intent by going substantially faster than Massa did in half as many laps.
