Where are the cars?

[Knock-on]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69357

Kimi thinks that McLaren have overtaken Ferrari?

I'm not too sure. I think that there is one driver out there that has taken this championship by the scruff of the neck and is making the difference.

What is evident is that McLaren have closed the gap and are on par with Ferrari now.

BMW still look strong and Toyota are starting to make inroads.

Renault are all over the shop, Williams show flashes and Honda are hopeless.

[ArrowsFA1]

How is it possible to definatively say which car is quicker than another? Obviously the Ferrari is quicker than, for example, the Force India, but when it comes to making comparisons between the likes of Ferrari and McLaren it's almost impossible to say IMHO.

Ok, so Hamilton's McLaren has convincingly won the last two races, but in the British GP Ferrari admitted to errors and Kimi did beat Heikki's McLaren. Yesterday Massa was there or thereabouts, and may have challenged for the win but for brake problems. Kimi & Heikki finished a couple of seconds apart.

That does rather suggest the cars are evenly matched and it is the drivers making the difference, but I think there are too many variables to be certain.

[Knock-on]

How is it possible to definatively say which car is quicker than another? Obviously the Ferrari is quicker than, for example, the Force India, but when it comes to making comparisons between the likes of Ferrari and McLaren it's almost impossible to say IMHO.

Ok, so Hamilton's McLaren has convincingly won the last two races, but in the British GP Ferrari admitted to errors and Kimi did beat Heikki's McLaren. Yesterday Massa was there or thereabouts, and may have challenged for the win but for brake problems. Kimi & Heikki finished a couple of seconds apart.

That does rather suggest the cars are evenly matched and it is the drivers making the difference, but I think there are too many variables to be certain.

Oh, I agree.

Could it be that McLaren are just getting the best out of the car and the better race setup whereas the Ferrari has the potential to be the best?

We don't know.

It seems that they are very similar on performance at the moment.

[Dave B]

In the last two races, McLaren have been compromised because their cars suffer from higher tyre wear than Ferrari. In the wet at Silverstone Lewis opted not to go onto extreme wets because the blocks would have heated up too quickly, necessitating another change; in Germany he employed a very risky strategy so as not to run for long on the softer tyres which would have grained up after another few laps.

Circumstances benefited them, and Hamilton was more than able to cope with the situations, but there's no reason to assume that McLaren will have it all their own way for the rest of the season.

Lewis is only 4 points clear, it could all switch round in one race.

[Knock-on]

There's a long way to go for sure but momentum is what wins championships.

I just wonder if Ferrari need to be a bit more agressive?

McLaren are suffering higher tyre wear but perhaps that's because they are a bit more on the edge.

[ArrowsFA1]

Lewis is only 4 points clear, it could all switch round in one race.

There's a long way to go for sure but momentum is what wins championships.

Indeed. After Canada and France Hamilton was being written off by some, while Ferrari won those two races and the momentum appeared to be with the boys in red.

[Knock-on]

Indeed. After Canada and France Hamilton was being written off by some, while Ferrari won those two races and the momentum appeared to be with the boys in red.

Mclaren have done a great job. I don't think anyone can deny that.

Lewis appears to be on the crest of a way and his boyant mood is evident.

Also, very much in evidence, was the look of dejection on Massa's face in the press conference. He looked totally defeated and this, more than anything else, sums up the difference between the 2 teams.

If body language won races, Felipe would be fighting with Force India.

[Storm]

Atleast in Germany , McLaren was clearly the quicker car of the two and of course Lewis put in a great performance too.

It's a combination really...Ferrari and McLaren are very close to each other in performance and I would have given Ferrari the slight edge till Silverstone, but now it looks like this may swing each race though McLaren seem to have edged forward slightly on pace.
The fact is Ferrari drivers making mistakes (Massa in Silverstone) and their poor strategies have also made Hamilton look invincible. Yesterday he put in a flawless and swashbuckling drive but the red cars did seem to be struggling to keep up and not just due to lack of driving talent.

IMO Hamilton is talented, but I do not believe he is "vastly" better than Kimi or Massa or Alonso either. This is all very subjective but it does appear they are at similar levels but Hamilton is on "form" so to speak and mentally up for the challenge while Alonso (slow car has frustrated him), Kimi (WDC slipping away and not able to stamp his authority in qualifying or races this year) and Massa (inconsistent performances, wins a race superbly and then next race is slow or makes mistakes) have had more of mental issues or haven't been able to overcome those as effectively as Lewis has.
Well done to him for that but I hope for our (fans) sake, Kimi and Massa don't throw in the towel and we get a final race showdown for the title.

[wedge]

Oh, I agree.

Could it be that McLaren are just getting the best out of the car and the better race setup whereas the Ferrari has the potential to be the best?

We don't know.

It seems that they are very similar on performance at the moment.

Brundle suggested Ferrari/Kimi struggled because they was looking at set up which probably wasn't there, but Massa looked to be the better car on long runs during practice and then claims to suffer problems on the last stint.

[Knock-on]

Brundle suggested Ferrari/Kimi struggled because they was looking at set up which probably wasn't there, but Massa looked to be the better car on long runs during practice and then claims to suffer problems on the last stint.

There is a lot of grumbling going on but that's understandable.

Lets just take a step back and cover Silverstone again.

A lot of people are claiming that McLaren had the best car. Based on what?

Hekki put in a stunning qualification as did Webber. Lewis and Kimi didn't have the best and Massa was running a setup more suited to the Paris Dakar than F1.

Rain, as we know is a great equaliser and the difference on the day was the drivers in my opinion.

In Germany, the cars looked pretty equal between Massa and Lewis with the Brit a couple of 10ths ahead on qualifying. I just think that looking at Hekki's pace, Lewis did a better drive and Massa didn't look comfortable out there. Kimi just had a rubbish setup this time as Massa did last.

i think they need to dial that Ferrari in better and then hopefully the Ferrari's can make a more competitive showing now. It hasn't gone from a great car to a crap one overnight. It's just that they're only getting 95% from it.