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The final part of our season preview takes a look at the two teams expected to be running towards the rear of the field in 2014.
Marussia: After retaining the same Anglo-French driver line-up of the Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi, as well as obtaining Ferrari power units, things are looking up for Russian-backed squad.
A technical fault that threatened their attendance at the first test was quickly resolved in time for them to make the final two days at Jerez. They were quickly racking up the miles, and gained a valuable understanding of the MR03's on-track performance.
Despite Chilton suffering engine issues on Day 1 of the Third test, reliability has generally been positive and Marussia appear to be on the same sort of pace relative to last season and may potentially be a threat to the likes of Toro Rosso and Sauber at certain tracks over the course of the season.
Caterham: The Malaysian-backed team decided on a new mix of experience and youth by signing the Japanese Kamui Kobayashi and Swedish Marcus Ericsson for 2014. The car was unveiled in Jerez late on in the first day and was unanimously decided to be the least aesthetically pleasing.
The squad once again opted for Renault power, and despite the problems facing the other teams, Caterham appeared side-step them and crack on with the job of evaluating and improving the performance of the CT05.
Kobayashi and Ericsson completed over 10x more laps than Red Bull over the entire course of pre-season testing and were by far the most reliable team running the Renault power unit, their pace was something of a surprise also and means they will no doubt be in fierce competition with Marussia this year. They may (such as the Russian-backed team) be harassing the midfield during some races.
Tom Brooks
Chief UK Editor
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