BMW i Andretti Motorsport say they are not getting ahead of themselves after setting the fastest time during the official pre-season test last week.
Maximilian Gunther went one tenth quicker than anyone else in Valencia, with team-mate Alexander Sims seventh fastest overall.
But having achieved similarly promising results in testing before the beginning of last season and failing to win either title, Team Principal Roger Griffiths said that the times aren’t that meaningful.
“It is obviously nice to end the test week with Maximilian Günther’s fastest time at the top of the timing list,” Griffiths said. “However, that does not mean an awful lot. We were also strong here last year, but were then unable to put that into practice over the whole season.
“For us as a team, it was much more important to optimise our internal processes and work together even better and more efficiently.
“I think we have taken a good step forward in that regard. That fact makes me more confident about the season ahead than the lap times do.”
Gunther himself showed equal caution about his overall lap time, saying that it came secondary to developing the car.
However he did say that he had settled in to his new team well having made the switch from GEOX Dragon in the off-season.
“The focus was clearly on learning as much as possible, looking ahead to the coming season,” he said.
“For us, it was primarily about continuing the development of the car and team processes at the circuit. That took top priority. Lap times were a secondary matter.
“I am pleased that we were able to do an awful lot of laps and try some things out. That was very important for me. I felt very comfortable in the car all week. I can hardly wait for the season to get started in November.”
The new season gets underway in Ad Diriyah on the 22 of November
