What a mess

[ioan]

Very uninspiring race from Ferrari. Bad strategy and awful driving.
JT should call RB and MS back if they continue this way.

[blakebeatty]

That coupled with a flawless drive from Fernando and Lewis...

[herra47]

McLaren has the best driver line-up at the moment. Ferrari has the best car, but it is not enough..

[F1boat]

Massa ruined Ferrari's race at the start, but McLaren had the best car and Alonso put an amazing performance. He is not a man. Lewis drove well, Kimi drove well (probably his engine was limited after Melbourne), but Alonso was in his own league.
Also Ferrari's floor obviously gave them huge advantage.

[andreag]

First lesson on strategy (and quick reflexes to change it in the race).

Second on attack when need it.

Third on nerves to drive the whole race.

And two questions:

What's the influence of yet-not-movable floor on the poor Ferrari's pace?

Where's this 1.5 second advantage per lap?

Congratulations to Fernando, Lewis and McLaren!

[donKey jote]

http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~siochos/smilies/banana/ita/13.gif http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~siochos/smilies/loser.gif http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~siochos/smilies/banana/ita/28.gifhttp://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~siochos/smilies/loser.gif http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~siochos/smilies/banana/ita/44.gif

[Juppe]

Very uninspiring race from Ferrari. Bad strategy and awful driving.
JT should call RB and MS back if they continue this way.


Well, one of the drivers drove a flawless race with reduced revs... Wait for the next race, they'll bounce back. The form of McLaren was impressive that has to be noted.

[BeansBeansBeans]

Very uninspiring race from Ferrari. Bad strategy and awful driving.
JT should call RB and MS back if they continue this way.

Ferrari lost out because they were unprepared for the aggressive attack of McLaren in turn one. The race was won in the first few laps as Hamilton kept the faster Ferraris behind him, forcing Massa into making a couple of errors, and allowing Alonso to stretch out a comfortable lead.

The Ferrari is still the quicker car, so the tifosi have every reason to be optimistic for Bahrain.

[jens]

As the season progresses, we have to get an answer that how much the departure of Team Schumacher has affected Ferrari's form. If Ferrari can't beat McLaren at Sakhir either, then that influence is clear.

[BeansBeansBeans]

As the season progresses, we have to get an answer that how much the departure of Team Schumacher has affected Ferrari's form. If Ferrari can't beat McLaren at Sakhir either, then that influence is clear.

The departures of Schumacher and Brawn are bound to have some affect on the team, but it's worth pointing out they have started this season more strongly than in 2005 and 2006, when Team Schumacher was still in place.

[Juppe]

As the season progresses, we have to get an answer that how much the departure of Team Schumacher has affected Ferrari's form. If Ferrari can't beat McLaren at Sakhir either, then that influence is clear.

That's a little bit far fetched, don't you think?

In the beginning of last season Ferrari struggled as well as the whole 2005 season, all with "team Schumacher" - so how would you deduct their absolute effect on the performace? You couldn't.

[F1boat]

Ross must come back!!!

[truefan72]

wow! what a difference a week makes. Calm down. Ferrari is just fine. McClaren is very good and as mentioned have a 2 time WDC driving and a super fast and uncanny expereinced wunderkind driving.
Kimmi will still be there and is still the front runner to win the WDC. The car is obviously fast. Kimmi was rev limited until the 3rd stint and Massa was just plain foolish. He should have showed more patience and would have probably overtaken lewis in due time. All the time he spent watching Michael he never learned the art of stalking the car in front ???? and then he couldn't get past Heidfeld as well as making severel braking mistakes. I'm not sure if the team was in his ear from the getgo urging him on instead of preaching patience. But if they were, then shame on them.

Massa did get the pole and kimmi was third on the grid. Rome isn't burning yet... and I am not even a Ferrari fan :)

[Ian McC]

JT should call RB and MS back if they continue this way.

:dozey:

[jas123f1]

Imo is that Massa ruined both Ferrari' drivers race at the start. :( and then his own making mistake when he tried to pass Lewis. :(

I think it must be VERY close now that Massa will be degraded to a second driver in the team with his 7 points for the season. Kimi has now 16 points and doesn’t make (almost) any mistakes. He lost the Championships lead because of his team mate was fighting against him more than competitors. I think that Kimi counted that Massa will go to right in the start and try to prevent Alonso to go pass, but Massa seems to be more troubled for his team mate than for Alonso.

Ferrari has paid too much money for Kimi to have a team mate who is staying in front of him and letting the worst competitors go. Comparing with McLaren’s perfect race tactics Ferraris was like an “amateurs evening”. I hope Ferrari team realised that situation has changes and fighting must start in Bahrain, if they doesn’t do it now it’s maybe too late when racing starts in Europe. If Alonso get too big cap to Kimi he hasn’t any chance to reduce it, I’m afraid.

However congratulations to Alonso and Lewis (what a rookie !!) for a perfect race.

[ArrowsFA1]

McLaren have made up ground on Ferrari since Australia which helped, but Alonso & Hamilton were faultless today.

It's going to be a fascinating battle between the two teams throughout the year :up:

[stevewf1]

When Ferrari are out in front under no pressure they are fine. However when under pressure like today it seems they are missing Schumacher and Brawn's influence. Massa lost his cool, and it was unusual to see a Ferrari come out of the pits into traffic. In fairness to Kimi, he was carrying an engine problem throughout the race, so his performance was always going to be comprimised. He still beat Massa though and at this stage Kimi is looking much the better bet for the title out of the two Ferrari drivers.

[Valve Bounce]

Mackalaren (as Massa calls them) has, I suspect, been sandbagging again. All the BS about the car being one and a half seconds slower than Ferrari, then Alonso insisting that a lot of work needs to be done, and then they are faster than Ferrari.

[jas123f1]

When Ferrari are out in front under no pressure they are fine. However when under pressure like today it seems they are missing Schumacher and Brawn's influence. Massa lost his cool, and it was unusual to see a Ferrari come out of the pits into traffic. In fairness to Kimi, he was carrying an engine problem throughout the race, so his performance was always going to be comprimised. He still beat Massa though and at this stage Kimi is looking much the better bet for the title out of the two Ferrari drivers.

I'm sorry to say it, but to looking realistic to the situation.
- i can't see that Massa is any serious threat against Alonso, because Alonso is so much better driver than Felipe and when Alonso has all ready 11 points more than Massa AND a "perfect rookie" supporting him. :look:

[stevewf1]

Mackalaren (as Massa calls them) has, I suspect, been sandbagging again. All the BS about the car being one and a half seconds slower than Ferrari, then Alonso insisting that a lot of work needs to be done, and then they are faster than Ferrari.

So McLaren went to the first race in Melbourne and purposely allowed Kimi to win and give points away to Ferrari???? :confused:

[BeansBeansBeans]

Mackalaren (as Massa calls them) has, I suspect, been sandbagging again. All the BS about the car being one and a half seconds slower than Ferrari, then Alonso insisting that a lot of work needs to be done, and then they are faster than Ferrari.

McLaren aren't faster than Ferrari.

[Donney]

My conclussion from today's race is that Massa is a second driver, he is not capable of delivering when he is the supposed number 1. Raikkonen on the other hand will be a serious threat to Alonso and McLaren.

Ferrari wii bounce back once they decide where each of their drivers belong.

[Tazio]

To those who have suggested Fred is overrated: Wrong!
To those who have suggested Ferrari is clearly the fastest car in the field
(myself included):Wrong!
To those who have suggested Kimi is not the #1 driver @ Ferrari: Dead Freaking Wrong!

[wedge]

I get the impression that the Macs worked better on a 'green' circuit.

I think Kimi was told to run reduced revs because of the water leak problem. Otherwise he would've made a better effort to pass LH, IMHO.

Kimi was doing lap times close Alonso's at the last stint. I can't think of another reason how Kimi found extra pace at that point in the race apart from LH's car not dialled correctly for the last stint.

[aryan]

Massa ruined Ferrari's race at the start, but McLaren had the best car a

I still think Ferrari is faster a couple of tenths a lap. Yes, McLaren is now very much threre but still Ferrari is faster I guess.

Massa didn't just ruin the start, his whole body language during the race talked of his frustration afterwards, he ran wide lots of times, had a completely dismal race.

Kimi got stuck behind GF, and that cost him the second spot, although no one could cathch FA after the first couple of laps.

[aryan]

To those who have suggested Ferrari is clearly the fastest car in the field
(myself included):Wrong!


Ferrari is still tha fatest car on the grid. Massa ruined his own race, and I suspect Kimi was running with reduced revs, but I think Ferrari is still faster than everyone else.

Though not clearly faster, I agree.

[Garry Walker]

McLaren aren't faster than Ferrari.

They were today by a very big margin actually.

Neither Ferrari driver drove bad, Massa did make some mistakes indeed and that compromised his race, but overall the car was just lacking pace. That is clear.

People thought I was joking when I claimed McLaren to be as fast as Ferrari, at least. Now I turned out to be right.

[BeansBeansBeans]

They were today by a very big margin actually.

I think Ferrari were tactically outsmarted by McLaren.

The Ferrari certainly isn't slower than the McLaren. Kimi was catching Lewis hand over fist in the final stint whilst both were equally fuelled and both were using the harder compound. That certainly isn't a sign of a car with a significant performance disadvantage.

[Garry Walker]

I think Ferrari were tactically outsmarted by McLaren.

The Ferrari certainly isn't slower than the McLaren. Kimi was catching Lewis hand over fist in the final stint whilst both were equally fuelled and both were using the harder compound. That certainly isn't a sign of a car with a significant performance disadvantage.

But compare kimis pace to Alonsos pace, compare their fastest laps, compare their fastest sector times. (actually both McLaren guys set the 2 fastest sector times in every sector, by quite a big margin). Its nonsense what some people are saying that Ferrari was faster, it wasnt.

[BeansBeansBeans]

But compare kimis pace to Alonsos pace, compare their fastest laps, compare their fastest sector times. (actually both McLaren guys set the 2 fastest sector times in every sector, by quite a big margin). Its nonsense what some people are saying that Ferrari was faster, it wasnt.

I didn't say the Ferrari was faster today. I said that the Ferrari is still the quicker car than the McLaren. Today McLaren had their cars dialled in better than Ferrari, and they were tactically superior, but I expect Massa and Raikkonen to shut-out the front row in Bahrain.

We'll see, I guess.

[Dzeidzei]

Kimmi was rev limited until the 3rd stint

Do lap times say anything about this? It seemed that Hamilton had a bad set of tyres on the 3rd stint and was loosing time against FA, but Kimi seemed to go at a steady pace. I think KR was limited all through the race, it would have been too risky to possibly loose 6 points.

Kimi´s only hope was a mistake by the rookie, which he didnt make. Another impresssive run by Lewis.

EDIT: Todt confirmed that Kimi was limited all through the race.

[ioan]

Well the only right thing Ferrari did this race was not changing Kimi's engine, with the pace they showed there was no way he could have got on the podium if he had to start 11th or wrong.

They were unable to change their strategy accordingly.

Credit to Massa for trying to pass Hamilton but he made the same mistake twice in the same place, that's to much by F1 standards.

McLaren on the other hand use the Ferrari tactic this year, a clear no 1 and a back up option. Good for them.

[ArrowsFA1]

Neither Ferrari driver drove bad, Massa did make some mistakes indeed and that compromised his race, but overall the car was just lacking pace...
Massa drove badly. Error compounded by error did more than compromise his race, and that had nothng to do with the car.

Today, McLaren and their drivers did a better job than the opposition.

[Robinho]

not a stellar performance from Ferrari, but all the same not a disaster. if this proves to be a bad weekend, then they could do a lot less than 3rd and 5th.

I don't think Massa did anything do disprove most peoples opinions of him, that he is quick, but not consistent or smart enough under pressure, certainly not enough to fight Kimi, Alonso etc for titles. the first pass was forgivable, in fact a decent effort, but to make the same mistake twice, and worse the second time was foolish.

Kimi is a bit of an unknown, he disappointed compared to Melbourne, but i would assume that part of this was engine preservation, it seems they let him loose towards the end when 2nd was in sight and he was quick. if this was not the case then he was a bit disappointing.

as for the Ferrari strategy, that all wnet out of the window by the 2nd corner and they didn't seem to have the idea to turn things round for them, today i think McLaren just bested them, mainly in the first few hundred yards, and on the whole the cars seem very closely matched, the difference is going to be the team making the best on the day and the drivers

[Tazio]

as for the Ferrari strategy, that all wnet out of the window by the 2nd corner and they didn't seem to have the idea to turn things round for them, today i think McLaren just bested them, mainly in the first few hundred yards, and on the whole the cars seem very closely matched, the difference is going to be the team making the best on the day and the driversCalling Mr. Brawn! Mr. Ross Brawn. You have a call on the red line!

[GP-M3]

There were reports earlier in the week that Ferrari hadn't changed the car at all from OZ. So, perhaps they too were working on the assumption that they were quite a bit quicker. Mac and boys had made some upgrades.

So, it's not that bad all in all... it is a good wake up call to Ferrari not to rest on their laurels, and to keep developing at an intense pace all season.

Also I strongly agree with Jas123F1 that Ferrari must now break the bad news to Felipe (whom I really like) that he must now when the situation demands it, support Kimi... Mac is clearly going to do this for FA, and this has worked well for Ferrari for years... now's the time guys.


Imo is that Massa ruined both Ferrari' drivers race at the start. :( and then his own making mistake when he tried to pass Lewis. :(

I think it must be VERY close now that Massa will be degraded to a second driver in the team with his 7 points for the season. Kimi has now 16 points and doesn’t make (almost) any mistakes. He lost the Championships lead because of his team mate was fighting against him more than competitors. I think that Kimi counted that Massa will go to right in the start and try to prevent Alonso to go pass, but Massa seems to be more troubled for his team mate than for Alonso.

Ferrari has paid too much money for Kimi to have a team mate who is staying in front of him and letting the worst competitors go. Comparing with McLaren’s perfect race tactics Ferraris was like an “amateurs evening”. I hope Ferrari team realised that situation has changes and fighting must start in Bahrain, if they doesn’t do it now it’s maybe too late when racing starts in Europe. If Alonso get too big cap to Kimi he hasn’t any chance to reduce it, I’m afraid.

However congratulations to Alonso and Lewis (what a rookie !!) for a perfect race.