ShiftingGears
25th May 2008, 01:28
I've gotta say Ferrari here. Even during their transitional phase when they lost Todt, Schumacher, Byrne (incredibly underrated) and Brawn, they still won the championship in a lesser car than the McLaren. In '05 their car clearly suffered from the race-tyre regulations but they still could fight for wins(see Imola) whereas a team like Renault got flattened with the move to Michelins.
Ferrari seem to have something over the McLaren team at the moment, but I don't quite know what it is. But I hope McLaren find it. Last year McLaren really shot themselves in the foot with the spy scandal and the driver feud, which I can't imagine happening at Ferrari in this era. But they won't ever make that mistake again. Mistakes like that only prolong the time that they've spent without the manufacturers championship. (10 years!)
Having said that, BMW are also looking pretty complete as a team. Ever since they became a team independant of Williams in 2006 they have improved every single year. They're looking good, as a team. Their biggest hurdle will be the 2009 regulations, and seeing if they can still be competitive without all the winglets that are so prominent.
Williams is also a very good team, being what may be the last competitive privateer team. They know how to win, and most of their problems, it seems, stem from the fact that Williams aren't a major car manufacturer. Having said that, they are more competitive than Toyota, using their engine. It would be great seeing Williams competing for championships once more.
Renault is a tricky one. They have only won championships with truely great drivers, and without them they seem to take a big step back when they leave. See Benneton in '96 and Renault last year. Also their results seem to vary due to regulations more than a team like Ferrari does. So it's really anyones guess where they would be next year.
Opinions?
Ferrari seem to have something over the McLaren team at the moment, but I don't quite know what it is. But I hope McLaren find it. Last year McLaren really shot themselves in the foot with the spy scandal and the driver feud, which I can't imagine happening at Ferrari in this era. But they won't ever make that mistake again. Mistakes like that only prolong the time that they've spent without the manufacturers championship. (10 years!)
Having said that, BMW are also looking pretty complete as a team. Ever since they became a team independant of Williams in 2006 they have improved every single year. They're looking good, as a team. Their biggest hurdle will be the 2009 regulations, and seeing if they can still be competitive without all the winglets that are so prominent.
Williams is also a very good team, being what may be the last competitive privateer team. They know how to win, and most of their problems, it seems, stem from the fact that Williams aren't a major car manufacturer. Having said that, they are more competitive than Toyota, using their engine. It would be great seeing Williams competing for championships once more.
Renault is a tricky one. They have only won championships with truely great drivers, and without them they seem to take a big step back when they leave. See Benneton in '96 and Renault last year. Also their results seem to vary due to regulations more than a team like Ferrari does. So it's really anyones guess where they would be next year.
Opinions?