With Vettel giving Red Bull a pretty faultless season, for the rest of the grid, it was always going to be a race for second. Thankfully, Ferrari and Mercedes have not let Seb’s superlative performance turn this season into a bore (well not completely at least). With the battle for second going into the penultimate race of the season, fans of the sport still have a lot to look forward to. At the moment, Mercedes, with 334 points, narrowly lead Ferrari, at 323, with Lotus playing catch up further down at 297. How’d they get there? PoleSetter’s got the low down on that
Mercedes started off the season on the wrong foot, salvaging just 10 points at the Australian GP, against Ferrari’s 30. However, Alonso’s retirement in the following race allowed Mercedes to bridge the gap down to 3 points. They failed to capitalize however, and by the end of the Spanish grand prix, Ferrari were up 117-72 thanks to back to back Alonso victories in China and Spain. The following weekend at Monaco was plagued by controversy after news of Mercedes’ ‘secret’ tyre test surfaced, leading to protests from Ferrari and Red Bull, claiming the test to be ‘underhand’ and ‘unfair’. The last leg of the season before the widely criticized tyre changes ended in Great Britain, with Mercedes edging Ferrari 171-168. Mercedes seemed to have benefitted from the tyre changes, opening up a 14 point lead over Ferrari in Hungary. Ferrari managed to pull it back in Italy with a strong showing from both their drivers, taking back the lead by three points after a Ferrari 2-4. Their lead was stretched to 10 points by the Japan Grand prix.
During the last two races however, Mercedes have upped their game, or rather, Ferrari have allowed theirs to slip, with the German marquee picking up 21 points more than their Italian rivals.
A potential dark horse, Lotus, currently at a not-so-distant fourth, could potentially give the two some serious competition. Admittedly, making up a 27 point deficit sounds daunting, especially with Kimi out of the picture (owing to a back surgery), but Grosjean’s recent form (his stellar 17th to 3rd drive in India in particular) could get them close
As things stand, second place seems to be running away from Ferrari, especially with Mercedes’ rumored change in set-ups to optimize race pace, but Fernando Alonso is not the kind of man who’ll go down sans resistance. Expect him to fight tooth and nail to salvage that all important second position for his team. Massa’s drive at Austin last year was a joy to watch, and though unlikely, an emulation of that performance could tip the scales in Ferrari’s favor.
A lot’s been said about how uneventful this season’s been thanks to Vettel and Newey, but with Mercedes and Ferrari taking things to the very end, the action is far from over. Their close matchup renders it unwise to make a bet, all we have to say, is that it’s not over till the last chequered flag is waved.
Here’s a complete account of the Ferrari-Mercedes-Lotus dogfight so far:
A recent string of mediocre performances drop Ferrari to third.
Photo courtesy Simon Williams
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During the last two races however, Mercedes have upped their game, or rather, Ferrari have allowed theirs to slip, with the German marquee picking up 21 points more than their Italian rivals.
Consistent drives from both Hamilton and Rosberg ensure Mercedes lead Ferrari.
Image courtesy Morio
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A potential dark horse, Lotus, currently at a not-so-distant fourth, could potentially give the two some serious competition. Admittedly, making up a 27 point deficit sounds daunting, especially with Kimi out of the picture (owing to a back surgery), but Grosjean’s recent form (his stellar 17th to 3rd drive in India in particular) could get them close
Grosjean’s surge in form has given Lotus fans something to cheer for.
Image courtesy Morio
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As things stand, second place seems to be running away from Ferrari, especially with Mercedes’ rumored change in set-ups to optimize race pace, but Fernando Alonso is not the kind of man who’ll go down sans resistance. Expect him to fight tooth and nail to salvage that all important second position for his team. Massa’s drive at Austin last year was a joy to watch, and though unlikely, an emulation of that performance could tip the scales in Ferrari’s favor.
A lot’s been said about how uneventful this season’s been thanks to Vettel and Newey, but with Mercedes and Ferrari taking things to the very end, the action is far from over. Their close matchup renders it unwise to make a bet, all we have to say, is that it’s not over till the last chequered flag is waved.
Here’s a complete account of the Ferrari-Mercedes-Lotus dogfight so far:
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