|
Reliability heavily improved even before the limited engines. Schumacher had a run of more than a season of podium finishes, meaning he did not retire once during that time span.
The top teams' improvements flowed down due to customer engines and everyone being better prepared.
Max's retirement is a bad example because it was a retirement, something that hardly happens anymore. It would be a good example if he had run on and finished regardless of the warning.
Take a look at old results: sometimes point down to 8th did not even make sense because there were not 8 finishers. Paniz won Monaco in 97 (?) because there were retirements by crashes and mechanicals. This simply does not happen anymore because drivers and material have improved. Hence hardly any surprise winners due to randomness. This makes it look like teams are further apart which in fact they are not.
|