The art of kidology is rampant in the uppermost echelons of Formula One and I am not alone in suspecting Red Bull were guilty of the practice in the new season’s opening test session in Jerez in southern Spain.

The astute bosses of rival runners, paying as much attention to the performances of their challengers as to their own cars’ returns were, behind the scenes, almost unanimous in their views that Red Bull were happy to play the waiting game without revealing too much in the 2015 campaign’s build-up.

Team boss Christian Horner, clearly disappointed at his outfit’s abject showing last season, only alleviated in part by Daniel Ricciardo’s three wins in the shadows of the Mercedes takeover, will have made his feelings known to engine suppliers Renault to correct their negative expertise.

The result was an evolution RB11, an advancement he hopes on the paltry RB10 of 2014 infamy — but how much so is, I suspect, a bluff being played out by the likes of Horner and his brilliant cohort, the genius designer Adrian Newey.

Drivers Ricciardo and newcomer Daniil Kvyat covered the second fewest number of laps — a meagre 165 — in the four-day session and failed to make it into the top ten on the time sheets by 2.4 and 3.1 seconds.

The sport’s stalwarts noted the results and privately aired their suspicions, no doubt bolstered by Horner’s lack of condemnation, as the teams headed back to their various HQs to fine tune their efforts in preparation for the second session next week in Barcelona.

Meanwhile Horner, the mastermind of so much success in the talented shape of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in a once-unbeatable Newey-designed car, voiced his explanations.

“Teething problems are to be expected, especially in an updated car with an uprated engine,” was his mantra. “Renault have been working very hard on it — but there are always going to be a few things that can catch you out.”

He added: “And, yes, inevitably it has happened with the RB11, which is an evolution of the RB10 with some major changes.”

There was not a trace of serious aggravation or disappointment in Horner’s stance, despite a shortage of spare parts and a few issues with the engine and he said: “Our test was a lot more positive than last year’s.

“Sure, we had issues, but they were not major compared to the fundamental ones of last season. We had a few niggles but this was much more of a standard preseason test than the one 12 months ago.”

Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, the former champion but an enigma and a forlorn struggler in a flop of a Ferrari last year, was the surprise top speed merchant in Jerez.

Not that it worried Horner, who pointed out: “He was the quickest in first testing last year — but he didn’t follow through for the rest of the season. ”We tend to pay not too much attention to what the opposition are doing and focus only on ourselves.”

Oh yeah? Believe that and you believe the moon is made of silver wrapping paper.

 

The writer is a freelance journalist and motorsport expert