Post-Barcelona Test Form Card
With the penultimate pre-season test having been completed, team competitiveness has become a talking-point in the Formula One community. Despite there still being weeks until the first Grand Prix of the 2011 season, the competitiveness that the teams have dared show the world have allowed individuals to examine the form of the respective teams. Despite there being potentially immense changes to the teams’ vehicles before the first race of the year, this article is an estimation of where the teams rank and descriptions why they find themselves at their relative positions.
Red Bull Racing
Position: 1st
The reigning World Champions, Red Bull Racing are looking to continue their run of championship-contending, in 2011. The team’s new challenger, the Adrian Newey-designed “RB7”, has held the Milton Keynes-based squad’s form over the off-season. Despite major regulation changes over the year, the Red Bull team has managed to maintain their advantage over the field. As with 2010, the team has particularly maintained supremacy in qualifying scenarios. Despite not topping every day of the Barcelona Test, the advantage shown on the two days that the team did stand at the top of the list showed no loss of pace by the incumbent champions. Forward to race pace, the RB7 has regularly shown itself as the fastest – and most consistent – over a race-distance. Despite the promising form, Mark Webber refuses to get ahead of himself. “We are very, very [cautious]. We've still got work to do.” One cannot help but sense optimism in his numerous interview replies during the testing session(s), however.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Position: 2nd
Throughout testing, all signs consistently point to Ferrari having once-again designed a championship-contending car. The Scuderia, who have developed such competitive vehicles for most of the past 10 years, have shown themselves to be a strong force during race-conditions. In fact, the Italian squad has shown itself capable of lapping faster than that of Red Bull in what would appear to be high-fuel runs. Despite this strength, the squad has failed to beat Red Bull in qualifying-trim. Known to be “kinder” on the new Pirelli tyres than the Red Bull (and much of the field, in fact), Ferrari cannot be expected to do anything else than challenge for the 2011 World Championship. Holding their tyre advantage, as well as the introduction of the so-called “Adjustable Rear Wing” and the re-introduction of the KERS system, Ferrari is well-placed to position Fernando Alonso and/or Felipe Massa into a championship-contending position.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Position: 3rd
Despite a new, radical design – most notably the “L-Shaped” sidepods (although certainly not limited to this) - the Woking-based squad has yet to show championship-contending pace. The team’s challenger has faced reliability issues all throughout the now-penultimate test and has struggled to adapt to the new Pirellis. With BBC colour commentator commenting on the MP4-26 as “Looking like a car on cold tyres”, the McLaren team need to quickly resolve their issues, should they be intending on competing with Red Bull and Ferrari at the first rounds of the season. With the reliability issues regularly being suggested as being the result of the more-aerodynamic sidepods (which, as a result, intake less air to cool the interior with), McLaren could, as with the MP4-18 in 2003, be facing the negative side-effects of radical innovation.
Lotus Renault GP
Position: 4th
Renault’s testing competitiveness has, thus-far, been challenging to interpret. The R31, which appeared competitive in Robert Kubica’s hands, has since struggled to hold a consistent placing in the pecking order. The debate on whether to sign Bruno Senna or Nick Heidfeld as the replacement to the injured Kubica, which could easily have been decided off-track, only cost the team development time. The Enstone squad can hope for regular points in the hands of “Quick Nick”, but teammate Petrov is required to make an immense turnaround in form in order to hold onto his seat for much longer. Should one of their many test drivers (which at the moment looks more like a UN convention than a driver line-up) can manage to find the funding that Petrov has behind him, the Russian will soon find himself looking for a job elsewhere.
Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team
Position: 5th
Much like Renault, the Mercedes GP team are another squad with questionable pace. Despite occasional strong lap times, the MGP W02 has struggled with traction throughout pre-season testing. With the team discussing their pace issues with the media, the Brackley-based team are fully aware that their competitiveness needs to be improved. Possibly down to the car’s reaction with the Pirelli tyres or possibly down to the cold conditions throughout the Barcelona test (or both), the design department of the Mercedes GP team will no-doubt be relishing the extra weeks preparation given as a result of the political turmoil in Bahrain at the present.
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Position: 6th
The Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso have made themselves somewhat of a wildcard in pre-season testing. In the hands of all three drivers – Daniel Ricciardo, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi (although, admittedly, the latter has appeared to be the slowest of the three) – the STR6 has consistently placed high up the leader-board in Barcelona. Whilst the testing pace appears competitive, don’t expect definite results. Testing has shown, time and time again, less-competitive teams higher up the order in order to gain publicity. With the consistency shown, however, the Faenza-based squad look to have stepped up their competitiveness for the 2011 season.
AT&T Williams
Position: 7th
With a rear-end that seemingly disappears before your eyes, the Sam Michael-designed FW33 showed potential early-on in testing. With a promise of a “radical” change to the Williams car for 2011, the exterior of the vehicle has shown a less-than amazing change. However, with the smallest-ever Formula One gearbox, Williams is looking for a mechanical advantage over the rest of the competition. However, pace at the penultimate test in Barcelona was never completely found. With Pastor Maldonado’s questionable driving prowess, Williams will be relying on Barrichello’s consistency to maintain its position ahead of those behind.
Sauber F1 Team
Position: 8th
The Sauber team have shown strong consistency throughout pre-season testing. However, their history of showing competitiveness that they do not have, in testing, means that one cannot take their positioning as fact. However, due to their improved number of sponsors and a two-legged money-producing machine, in the form of rookie Sergio Perez, it is expected that the Sauber team will improve as the season progresses. Their capacity for advancing up the field has grown and, with highly-rated Kamui Kobayashi driving for the team, do not be alarmed to see Peter Sauber’s team progressing up the order as the season drags on.
Force India F1 Team
Position: 9th
Thus far, Force India’s 2011 challenger has been decidedly average. Showing the potential to move further up the order once-again, the team do not appear to have made any major gains. Regularly featuring in the mid-to-late pack at Barcelona, the Silverstone-based team will need to make serious improvements to the VJM04 if they intend to challenge for podiums (a competitiveness assured by team owner Vijay Mallya). However, the team and drivers suggest to the media that they are happy with the car and are expected to bring numerous upgrades to the final test, again in Barcelona. Much like Mercedes GP, the team will be taking advantage of the extended off-season to prepare their vehicles.
Team Lotus
Position: 10th
Despite designing a chassis awfully similar to the front-running teams, the pace of Team Lotus’ 2011 challenger hasn’t been strong enough to move them ahead of any of the teams closer to them in the 2010 season. The development knowledge of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen has allowed them to stay ahead of the teams of HRT and Virgin, but has still left them regularly in the bottom-4 in testing. Improvements will need to be made if the team intends on scoring points in 2011.
Marussia Virgin Racing
Position: 11th
Much like in 2010, the team still find themselves towards the rear of the grid. Despite a redesigned front-end, Virgin Racing do not appear to have made any particular gains on the surrounding teams. Richard Branson and the Virgin company have already announced their disappointment at the team’s 2010 campaign and the team will be required to “step up” a level in competitiveness should they wish to ensure their position on the grid in years to come.
Hispania Racing F1 Team
Position: 12th
Despite their being only one final test scheduled, the HRT squad have yet to debut their new car. Attending the Barcelona test for only two days, the squad’s only purpose of making an appearance was for marketing. As they have not yet debuted their car, one cannot comment on the competitiveness of the proposed F111. Based on history, however, it can only be assumed that Hispania will have not made any major gains – especially without testing. The Virgin Racing team will have to have done something seriously wrong in 2011 for the HRT squad to end the season (should they make it that far) ahead, again.
Credit: The F1 Times (www.thef1times.com)
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