I think michael will be on the podium a few times this year, I know not many of you agree but just remember this quote
The great thing about this time of year is that everything is possible. If the car is good enough I agree.
For half race weekends I believe this might be the case, but understand there is a definite gap between Lotus and Merc meaning it will require a special weekend for the Lotus to be anywhere near the Mercedes. The gap between mclaren and MB however is very minimal if at all present. I actually believe the Merc will be fighting with RB more than Mclaren as I just don't see RB having the same preseason edge. But you can guarantee most weekends we will see at least one Merc in the fight, and it won't be Nico. I don't think he has it in him to bring the heat at the sharp edge of things. He rolls over to other drivers too easily.
I completely agree. Nico is a brilliant qualifier but hasn't got the race prowess Michael has, and Michael proved that over and over last year. Schu will keep on it '13 and I truly hope Vettel takes his seat once he goes again.
http://fr.espnf1.com/mercedes/motorsport/story/72241.html Lauda likes the Merc. He's not saying it's the best car on the field but rather the most innovative. He makes a keen point between Nico and Michael though. Good read. Translate from French
"Former triple world champion Niki Lauda believes that the Mercedes is the most innovative car he has seen during winter testing. The Austrian believes that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will spring a surprise this year. "My feeling is that McLaren and Red Bull are now nearly equal," Lauda said on Austrian television ORF. "The big positive surprise is Mercedes. They chose a different approach. The muzzle is relatively small and the car looks different from other, because they have their F-duct (already dubbed W-duct and husked). " "For me it is the most innovative car, and I feel that their mechanism (the W-duct) works very well." Only world champion to successfully reclaim the title after an initial retirement or a sabbatical, with Alain Prost, Lauda also commented on the case of Michael Schumacher who wishes to join this exclusive club. "This is a very important year for him because for the first time we will really know where he stands in relation to Rosberg. Michael we must prove its value, its true value, which will of course be difficult because with the age you lose speed. "
[The muzzle is relatively small and the car looks different from other, because they have their F-duct (already dubbed W-duct and husked). " Translation is fine...just to nitpick a bit: the french word "museau", translated here by "muzzle", which is literally correct, would, when speaking of racing cars, better be translated in English by "nosecone". Best
thank you for that. And meanwhile, the Gazetta likes the Merc as the force just behind Red Bull http://i43.tinypic.com/1zdm0qx.png
I live 5 mins from the factory and frequent the same local coffee bars and diners as the F. guys. We all know people who work in the team directly or indirectly. They *never* give anything away in terms of specifics and details, after all, "loose lips sink ships" and all that, but honestly, I have to say that the mood 'round here is very downbeat. There's a bad atmosphere in the team and as a local you can feel it in the air. Much, much worse than the end of 2008 when they blew the WDC at the last race. It's already been posted elsewhere, but the rumors around here are that they haven't correlated the wind tunnel and CFD to real world successfully and therefore have no idea about the true benefits of any tweaks they might make. They simply don't know where they are. The most worrying thing though is that there appears to be major morale issues in the team and disruptive powerplays about what to do. While this is all part of F1, it seems to be hitting morale. Big questions around here about whether Fry's man enough for the job and wheter he possesses the political accumen. Let's hope they get a grip soon, otherwise it's only going to get worse.
Kind thanks for the direct insight there. Keep us posted on the local happenings there. Great perspective sir
Can't fix the problem if you can't identify the problem. Thus far this car has "fail" written all over it...how many more "we are working hard" speeches will we have to listen to? How about working smart? Grazie per la notizia Roberto!
+1 Almost our man on the inside! *Very* interesting comment re Pat Fry - I assume he doesn't speak Italian? However, I would say he's "man enough" - He was in another den of politicians with Mclaren don't forget..... Does he have the power to get things done though I wonder? What he said! Cheers, Ian
Thanks for the insight. Ferrari can figure this out, I have faith. It was SO disappointing to be as slow as they were at the start of last year after their great testing but they were able to make the car a regular podium contender. I think the F2012 can be a race winner...we know Alonso has the talent.
+1 This is not the first time they've been in that situation. And I'm pretty sure they'll come back from the brink. But it will cost them dearly: WDC and WCC out of reach, but hopefully the F2012 will at least collect one win and not go down as a total failure.
Wasn't it last year when Ferrari said that their slow start to the season was due to a "miscalibrated" wind tunnel? And then told us that they redid the math and "fixed" the problem? Maybe it's still miscalibrated and they only think the car sux.
True. But there is more to the picture as a birdie once tweeted. No wonder Benoit calls Ferrari "The house of the 1,000 lies".
We're still trying to figure out the truth about things that happened in the fifties and sixties at Ferrari. So good luck.
Yes. Why are they the only team with this issue? Why can't they get the damn thing working properly. Is there some magical wind tunnel saboteur or something?
Luca is looking for the team to return to its traditional Italian roots. Looks like he's succeeding. Ducking and covering
