As much as McLaren have been the butt of many jokes for years, I had a hunch this year would be the turning point, not just for them, but for Honda now they're seen as the unloved relative. The laughing would stop the minute Fernando sticks it on the front row. Unlikely to be early on in the season, but I sense it's coming.
Likewise at Torro Rosso, the preconception was they're going to have a nightmare of a year and be overtaken by Sauber now that some money's being thrown their way. On a long enough timeline, Honda will sort themselves out; they've spent too much to pull out now, so are likely to see it through - who knows, this time next year Red Bull might be sporting Honda engines and all thoughts of Aston Martin joining the fray are a distant memory.
It's far too cold in Barcelona to judge lap times, but given how the teams have the most part got some decent running in, it bodes well for the season and hopefully no one team go to Melbourne having clocked up menial mileage.