Day one of winter testing ahead of the 2015 season kicked off today at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time overall for the Ferrari team with a time of 1:22:690. The German completed a total of 59 laps. Fernando Alonso completed the least amount of laps, six,  in his McLaren Honda.

A relatively cool start to the day, weather wise, was amped with the official launch of several cars. Red Bull stole the limelight with a rather different livery. The Williams FW37 also launched with its official colours in the pitlane while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg unveiled the 2015 Mercedes. The Lotus team were absent from the pitlane following their announcement that were not quite ready to run the E23. Fernando Alonso took charge of the McLaren Honda for the first day Ron Dennis has said that the McLaren livery will change from its current guise but has remained coy on exactly when that will happen.

Last year’s stuttering start to testing at Jerez saw Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time of the day in his Ferrari, a time of 1:27:104. Twelve months later, and a whole lot more knowledge on the turbo era of the sport, the cars have clocked times considerably quicker.

It was a remarkable day for Mercedes who clocked 157 with Nico Rosberg. Although Mercedes did have a shakedown earlier in the week at the Silverstone circuit to clock 157 laps in a day is an extremely good sign for the defending champions.

The first day of winter testing is always highly anticipated among fans, teams and drivers alike. It’s the opening salvo ahead of a new season and one that is keenly watched from all around the world. It is also a day for the teams to find their proverbial feet with their 2015 challengers and one where they look iron out small niggles while ensuring that all the systems run smoothly.

Thus the first runs and opening couple of days are hard to read into and it is unwise to do so. There is one thing however that is not in doubt; for 2015 the teams have produced stunning pieces of machinery that are very pleasing to the eye.

Daniel Ricciardo photo courtesy of @redbullracing

Unofficial Laptimes from Jerez de la Frontera: