Barcelona, Feb 28 (EFE).- The impression left by the Formula One pre-season testing that concluded Friday at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya signal is that the Silver Arrows are poised to dominate again as Mercedes pursue a seventh straight constructor's championship.

Based on what happened on the track over six days spread across two weeks, Ferrari looks unlikely to knock Mercedes off their perch during the 2020 campaign, which gets under way March 15 with the Australian Grand Prix.

While the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled for April 19 in Shanghai, has been postponed due to concerns about the coronavirus, authorities in Australia say the race in Melbourne will take place as planned.

The inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix, set for April 5 in Hanoi, is also supposed to go forward.

Chase Carey, the CEO of F1, was in Barcelona on Friday to meet with the teams and discuss possible responses in the event of more cancelations or postponements in Asia.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who posted the fastest lap of testing last Friday, 1:15.732, took first place in the final session with a time of 1:16.196.

The only person who came close to the Finn during the tests was Poland's Robert Kubica, a reserve driver for Alfa Romeo, who was the quickest on Wednesday with a lap of 1:15.942.

Ferrari's best day was Thursday, when four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel led all drivers with a time of 1:16.841 around the track at Montmelo.

His teammate, Charles Leclerc, was fourth on Friday, trailing Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) and ahead of six-time champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

"It is difficult to say if we're slow because of the engine power or because of the drag. We are not hiding. This is the real performance of our car," Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto told reporters Friday.

"I can confirm that I am not as optimistic as I was last year and our car is not the fastest. Having said that, the car seems to be reliable and the season is long," the Scuderia boss said.

The only other team capable of challenging Mercedes is Red Bull, whose star, Max Verstappen, finished second on Friday, 73 milliseconds slower than Bottas.

McLaren, for several years the "best of the rest," were not impressive, top driver Carlos Sainz acknowledged after finishing eighth on Friday, behind competitors from Racing Point and AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso).

"We have to adjust our expectations" for the 2020 season, the Spaniard said, though adding that McLaren will maintain their goal of reaching Q3 in qualifiers at every grand prix.

.1. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:16.196 79

.2. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:16.269 45

.3. Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:16.276 65

.4. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.360 181

.5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:16.410 90

.6. Esteban Ocon Renault 1:16.433 75

.7. Sergio Pérez Racing Point 1:16.634 154

.8. Carlos Sainz McLaren 1:16.820 163

.9. George Russell Williams 1:16.871 146

10. Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri 1:16.914 160

11. Romain Grosjean Haas 1:17.037 86

12. Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 1:17.415 115

13. Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:17:495 29

14. Alexander Albon Red Bull 1:17.803 59

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