Why has the gap on Ferrari closed so quickly?

[Hugh Jarce]

I don't think this one has been posted before - apologies if I have missed it.

I was reading Todt's quote regarding last week's GP when he said 'for the first time we were not able to compete'. That's a stunning admission.

At the beginning of the season we were all expecting the 2003 car to build on last years dominence and romp away. But it just hasn't happened.

In fact it appears that they have been caught.

I don't just think this is simply due to the new qualifying. So, what's your take?

Is the 2003 Ferrari not a great car or have the other closed the gap right up?
Is it down to 'tyre wars', with the Reds now losing out?
Are they becomming too defensive in approach rather than being utterly offensive like the 'chasing pack'.
Or a combination of the above?

I'd be interested on your take.

[Inigo Montoya]

Tyres.

[steve_r]

It's the water I'm putting in their fuel - but don't tell anyone.

Seriously, I have been thinking about this myself - but don't have a clue really. I assumed at the beginning of the season that it was down to the new regulations, but that looks less and less likely now.

No team ever has an everlasting monopoly, but I don't think many people expected to see Williams and McLaren to still be very much in the championship hunt this far into the season.

[Red]

Actually he didn't say that they "were not able to compete"... quite the opposite. He said that they were not the fastest (like in they had no competition )

[KC]

One of the big rumors that circulated at Canada was that Michelin asked for a clarification from the FIA on the cross section design for the tires and it was found that the Bridgestones were slightly outside the rules on width. Ferrari admitted that they did not run the tire they wanted to at Canada and thus the field was much closer to them even though MS won anyway.

When you consider things like where Michelin is located and where Bridgestone are located some things can be assumed. Michelin has an easier time of reacting to the teams needs as they are on the European continent and Bridgestone's factory is in Japan. Supposedly Michelin has also developed a way to quickly produce tires, rumored to be in less than a day. Couple that with the relative closeness by air of most of the remaining races it seems that Michelin may be able to react to the first practice session much faster than Bridgestone can. Also, it appears that Michelin are continuing to produce tires for each of its teams instead of forcing the smaller teams to run what one team specifies. I think it gives the Michelin shod cars an edge against their Bridgestone counterparts.

[Irv the Swerve]

I don't think its any one thing in particular, but a combination of several things.

1. Tyres
2. TGF had a very bad run at the start or the year
3. Tyres
4. The others have definately raised their game
5. Kimi being vastly improved, Alonso causing anxiety
6. Rubens not performing, they are a one car team again.
7. Tyres
8. The new rules have definately unsettled the old routine.

Also, being mega successful can tend to go in cycles of teams i.e. McLaren in the 80's, Williams after that, Merc in the mid 50's etc, and I'm not gonna call time on Ferrari just yet but the cycle is definately rotating.

Anyway, they are still top of the constructors championship.

[Glen]

The Williams has turned out to be a really good car, now that they have figured it out and know how to make it work - the basic design was not faulty as was assumed by many and it is now showing its true worth.

Kimi is driving superbly and making the kind of difference only true potential champions are able to.

Renault have got some tremendous tricks in their car, and Alonso. Much quicker than most people predicted.

Added to all that Bridgestone are suffering.

But. Bear in mind that Ferrari have given away four races development to Williams, so I wouldn't be surprised to find that there is lots more to come from the F2003-GA.

[speedbump]

Basically what everyone here says

TYRES

Michelin's done a Great job

[krt917]

If you look at Autosport this week Ferrari were the only one of the top teams to be slower at the Nurburgring in '03 compared to last year. I can't believe that the F2003GA is slower than the F2002, so the tyre situation has to be the number one reason. It's probably fair to say that McLaren and Williams have also managed to raise their games too.

[twig]

I was trying to figure out if the F2003-GA is actually slower than the F2002, it would be absolutely suprising if the old car were in fact faster, but it is so hard to tell, by comparing it to the opponents. The tyres of course can be a factor, so whether the last years car's PACKAGE with the tyres was slower than this years is what i am trying to find out.

Does anyone know where i can find a list of each driver's fastest lap in the race for the past two years?

[Bononi]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya
Tyres.

Ditto.

[BootsOntheSide]

Tyres are the main reason, but Kimi has developed greatly as a driver having had a year of experience in a top team, and Williams are really firing on all cylinders with both drivers consistanly taking great results.

The new rules have deifnately had an effect - Malaysia was the most dramatic indication, where under the old rules I think he'd've taken pole and disappeared into the distance. Then again, he gained from it in Canada.

The points system change has masked things a little - he'd be 11 points ahead, not 7, under the old system.

Above all it is down to Michelin getting the act together, adn produccing tyres which the Williams doesn't chew up qucikly. In the rain, Ferrari may be uncatchable and we could see repeats of Sivlerstone last year, with unfashionable Bridgestone teams scoring well.

[gttouring]

what are the rules for testing and using the 2002 ferarri?
they could bring it out to see if it performs w ell against the other cars.
it was supposed to be just a vast improvement-and yet we don't see lap time from MS droppping, he is actually fighting this year against the other teams. tyres yes but this drop inperformance? Renault is got to be car of the year, and BMW are getting the act together Kimi is just showing how incredile mercedes is, and Mac it is last years car! this is perhaps what formula one should be?

[Peter S]

I was told by some insiders that the difference between Michelin and Bridgestone is about 1.1 seconds. Ferrari had been around a second quicker at the start of the year and last and that would back that theory up especially as we have had a new Ferrari introduced since the first couple of rounds....appearing to be not as quick. If you look at the performance of other Bridgstone teams like BAR and Saubar that would also explain there lack of pace, as they have explained that a lack of grip is the cause of there problems. I also belive Bridgestone are trying to play by the rules were as Michelin are trying to cheat there way through the book in terms of the grooves left after the race has finished in the tyre, and they also get quicker as the tyre wears down. that is why some of the michelin driver dont fit new tyres to the front of the car as they offer more grip when the tyre is older which is purely against the spirit of the regulations. It wont be long until the FIA look into this.

[twig]

What about Bridgestones cheating with the different compounds from front to rear, and having widths of the shape of the tyre outside regulation.....in places......apparently.

[neilap]

tires tires tires

[Ralf]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya
Tyres.

And then some!
Is that the foot long?
Mick da what???

[speedbump]

Just a small question on the topic.

Do you think Ferrari might test the Michelin tire secretly to see how it does ?

[touringlegend]

Where/who would they get it from though ?

F1 should have a control tyre anyway, it would do away with the need to blame tyres for performance because everyone would be equal. But then the tyre manufcaturers could become too complacent.

[speedbump]

It was just a thought. What if ? that's all
Don't you think ferrari would be curious to see if there was any improvement ?

I agree with you totaly. An even playing field when it comes down to tires.

[Peter S]

Ferrari already been rumoured to have done it with Minardi in past year so it wouldnt be surprising to see it happen again, as Ferrari let them use there test track on the odd occasion. It doesnt take much to scrub the name off the tyre either.

[neilap]

More juice

In France Rubens Barrichello... acknowledged excellence of the Ferrari chassis and engine notwithstanding, the odds appear to favour the Michelin-shod runners unless Bridgestone has some new tyres available.

[Inigo Montoya]

We also should not forget that the rules were artificially modified to make the season more "exciting" for the fans: wins now mean sweet **** all, one lap qualifying means Michael cannot start at front everytime and just run away from everyone like last year, etc...

[Ralf]

Originally posted by speedbump
Just a small question on the topic.

Do you think Ferrari might test the Michelin tire secretly to see how it does ?

Surely Ralf could stick some under his jumper & take some home for Michael :confused:

[Liz]

1. TGF is not as young as he used to be.

2. Bernie pointed this out to everyone in Monaco when he said "TWO of the men on this podium are the future of Formula One." He was not talking about the guy standing in Third Position.

3. The younger drivers do not bow down and get off the track to allow TGF to go by. He has to get by on his own merit, if he can. (I am excepting Ralf, of course, who will let his brother by and stay behind him if he knows what's good for him.)

4. The new qualifying setup means that he can't choose his own time to go out and set the fastest lap; he has to go when he's told to go. Thus we get results like last weekend when everyone at Speed Channel had awarded him the pole -- and then came Kimi. To someone who thought he was guaranteed to win every pole, every race, every time, this has got to start working on his head.

5. The race stewards have stopped punishing Montoya for TGF's mistakes.

6. TGF has started admitting he makes mistakes. And making more of them.

7. Since Austria and since his screw-up (or attempt at race fixing whichever you want to call it) at Indianapolis, people are watching him to see if he tries it again. This is cramping his style.

8. More than half the grid, including all the up and comers except Jensen Button, have said publicly that they will never drive at Ferrari as long as he is there, and since these same drivers are performing brilliantly, some in cars that are considerably less competitive, Ferrari may be suffering internally wondering if they have made a gross error by allowing him to dictate the makeup of the teams and trampling his hand picked teammates unmercifully, thus preventing the management from training any successors until he's completely off the track.

9. Speed Channel is running Formula One Decade, which shows what F1 was like before TGF. Americans who thought racing began in 1994 are wondering why nobody ever told them any of this before.

10. TGF has shown he can be beaten. And now he knows it too.