Ferrari, McLaren Is Faster Than You [And For That Matter So Is Red Bull]
I’m generally not one to fixate on numbers, but the recent form of McLaren and Vettel‘s commanding race win this past Sunday at the Singapore GP has got me thinking, and I am not sure I like it. Ferrari has a problem. Let me explain the problem like this:
If Vettel wins out and Fernando finishes third in the remaining races, [editor’s note: by ‘win out’, my writer means the driver wins the rest of the races left in the season. He claims this is a common phrase. I’m not so sure.] this is how the championship would look at the finish: Vettel 315, Alonso 284, Alonso loses the championship and its 2010 all over again. Rats.
THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT COME THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON IN NOVEMBER. I AM MORE INTERESTED WITH THE TROPHY ON THE LEFT.
If Hamilton wins out and Fernando comes third in the remaining races (even though Hammy is doing everything he can to make the team hate him such as tweeting telemetry to the world a day before the race, McLaren do have that car hooked up and Hammy needs to prove that he is worth the extra millions that his management team are making him hold out for) this is how the championship would look at the finish: Hamilton 292, Alonso 284, Alonso loses. Sucks.
If Kimi wins out and Fernando comes third in the remaining races, (don’t laugh, it could happen, Kimi is the dark horse and always a threat even if he gets a little too drunk and falls off his yacht from time to time) this is how the championship would look at the finish: Kimi 299, Alonso 284, and Alonso loses again. Crap.
Now this of course is a gross oversimplification, but you can see how a combination of 1st and 2nds by either Vettel and/or Hamilton (this is based on the fact that these are the two fastest cars currently) not to mention if Button and Webber have a good day, in addition to the real possibility that Fernando does not finish on the podium all the time, then it will be very difficult for Fernando to win his 3rd WDC.
What does Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali have to say about it? “There are six Grand Prix to go to the end of the season and clearly, we need to make a step forward in terms of performance, because we cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others. Where we need to improve a lot is on circuits that require maximum aerodynamic down force.” I hope that he and everyone else at the Ferrari brain trust are working flat out to achieve this goal, because no amount of luck or driving skill can erase an 8/10 of a second gap to the leaders. So Ferrari let’s get with the program. Bitches. JP out.
AmerF1can 