Front-runner Analysis Part 2




Ferrari: The Scuderia has undeniably regained their usual race-winning pace. Had they not made the unreasonable decision to not pit Alonso, he would have finished on the podium (P3) without a doubt. Maybe even splitting the Red Bull pair by finishing 2nd. Currently ranked third, they have been consistent (at least so far) at around 3rd-6th kind of placement. They definitely can achieve more however. Their first win according to last year's Mercedes power 1-2-3, and Alonso finishing 9th. They F138 may be faster, but it doesn't appear to be 8 positions faster.


The other main talking point at Ferrari is Felipe Massa. He had a tragic season last year, and barely pulled it out at the end of the season. This year, he's excelled right off the bat, qualifying better than Alonso for both races, and beating him half the time in the actual race. Ferrari will definitely secure 2nd in the Constructor's  Championship.



Red Bull: So, the defending World Champions. Scoring a 1-2 in the second race of the season is a feat that not many teams in the history of Formula One racing have been able to pull off. However, Red Bull's standings at the end of the season are often dictated by their ingenuity in the mid-season break. In 2011, it was where Vettel went from contender to leader. Often, their pace seems to go something like this:
(Performance on Y axis and part of season, divided into 5, on the X axis)

10       -----      ------
9 --
8                 ----
7
6    ---
5      
4
3
2
1
  1       2      3     4     5    

While it might not be the most expertly made graph, what I'm trying to display is that they come out in Australia and the first races usually on the podium but not full force, then drop off a little towards the end of the beginning (No Churchill reference intended), come back after the long break on top, lose a bit, and finally come back seriously fast in the races like Korea, Suzuka, U.A.E, etc.

This year they have the same chance as in 2011 and 2012 to be Constructor's Champions, and that's why I believe they will. The Driver's Championship may elude them, but the season will most likely end similar to last year's.
  

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