Formula One 2017: Ferrari a serious threat to Mercedes after impressive pre-season testing

If the opening day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is anything to go by, the Scuderia Ferrari will be a force to be reckoned with during the forthcoming Formula One season. Though Mercedes and Red Bull have dominated their competition in recent years, the prancing red horse could return to its glory days in the near future.

Sebastian Vettel, the former four-time F1 world champion, clocked the second-fastest lap time of the day -- just 0.113 seconds behind Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton. After 62 laps, Vetter finished with the best time of 1:22.791 as compared to his fastest time of 1:22.810 in testing exactly a year ago.

More importantly, the German's lap was set up using the medium compound tyre as compared to Hamilton running with the quicker and softer set of wheels. Vettel was also considerably quicker than the fastest lap set by Valtteri Bottas, who replaced retired world champion Nico Rosberg as Mercedes' No. 2 driver during the offseason. Ferrari fans have a lot to be optimistic about going into the new season.

Formula One 2017: Vettel vs Hamilton for the world championship?

Felipe Massa, a veteran of 250 Grands Prix starts, finished third overall for Williams, nearly three tenths off a second behind Hamilton and Vettel. After the opening day of testing, the veteran driver from Brazil admitted that both Mercedes and Ferrari are going to be tough to deal with during the Formula One 2017 season. "I think they are quite strong – Ferrari and Mercedes. It's just the first day, but what I can say is that (both teams) were straight away competitive, straight away putting some good lap times. And when a car is competitive straight away, it means something for the championship," Massa told reporters, via the F1.com.

Massa, who drove for Ferrari between 2006 and 2013, admitted that the Scuderia has a shot at the F1 constructors' championship after a few years of struggle. "Ferrari did a very good lap time on the medium tyres. Their car looks nice," Massa said, before explaining the differences in F1's new generation of cars. "The car has a lot more downforce, has a lot more grip on the corners, the tyres have more grip and the mechanical grip is a lot higher, so the behaviour is quite different in the corners – you can attack a lot more, bring more speed to the corners."

With reigning F1 world champion Rosberg announcing his retirement, the 2017 Formula One world championship could likely pit arch rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel against each other. Though Hamilton would start as the prohibitive favourite, due to Mercedes' recent track record, Vettel could pose a serious threat if Ferrari can get its house in order. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates surrounding Formula One 2017.