Is Merc tire woes making Ferrari look faster?

I have to say , it is weird. The Mercedes turns up in Oz and blew Ferrari away by 0.6 sec and then suffers an average 0.5 sec deficit to Ferrari over the following three races. Somehow the inherent performance of the Mercedes seem to have disappeared leaving Lewis Hamilton baffled, Toto Wolff scratching his head and the Mercedes engineers scrambling for solutions. Meanwhile the smokey Ferrari just seem to have the measure of the Mercedes on whatever tyres it has on and at whatever track.

It seems the advantage is in the ability to get the tyres to work in all conditions. The twin diva seem more wayward than her 2017 sibling. If Mercedes gets on top of their tyre woes, would Ferrari still be ahead or there about. I am thinking, there is around 1.1sec lose of performance in the Mercedes if we crudely take the 0.6sec advantage at Oz and add it to their 0.5sec disadvantage to the Ferrari at Bahrain or China for instance. Inherent performance cannot win championships if it is harnessed. That said, this season has what seems like a weird unpredictability about it. It would seem luck is a factor that may have a bearing on the final outcome of the season.

Whatever the case, Ferrari has not only taken the fight squarely to Mercedes, they are kicking Mercedes butts. Shame it has not translated to Constructors points to lead that championship, nor is the drivers championship in Ferrari's hands either. It would be a hard season for Mercedes, l am thinking Ferrari has a tough challenge also. Most importantly, not to let it slip out of their hands as it did last year.

It’s a similar issue that has followed Mercedes for many seasons since 2010. They struggle with tire management. It’s something inheritent in the design of their car. I think they have the fastest car on the track when they switch the tires on but not the overall best car right now. If they get to understand the car and tires and how to use them then I still fancy them for the title. If they don’t get that understanding soon, Vettel and Ferrari will walk it.