With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)

The Bahrain Grand Prix won't open the new Formula 1 season as usual this year, but all 10 teams are still heading to the Arab Gulf state for three days of testing this week