Should Ferrari drop F1

Ferrari turned sandbagging into an art form.

"Michael we need a second a lap..."

A SECOND !?!?
Hell why not ?

 

No problem!

Yes true but you know a Merc is going to win, and when you're not a fan of either Merc driver (like myself) it's not very fun. Qualifying has become quite pointless to watch as well.

 

Supposedly the only race in 2004 that Ferrari ran to their full potential was at Monza. MS spun on the first lap and Reubens started on inters miscalculating how fast the track would dry leaving both at the back of the field. Ross Brawn ordered both of them to select the most potent engine map that had not been needed all year and they drove through the entire field to a 1-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Italian_Grand_Prix

 

In that case it is not a MB issue but rather you not liking either driver. You would have the same boredom if eg Hamilton sat in a RB and the RB had the same speed as the MB.

I'm not a Hamifan but I love watching F1 history in the making. He wont reach MS' records but stands a good chance to become the #2 or #3 most successful F1 driver of all times. And you dont get a chance very often to see that happen

 

Not true, it's always much more interesting when there is more than one team battling for the title. Also, I am not convinced Rosberg gets equal treatment at Merc.

I used to think so, but now I'm not sure. He won't get MS fastest laps record, and wins will be difficult, but he could eclipse 7 titles and 155 podiums. He will definitely beat his poles record, possibly next year. No one is going to beat Mercedes for 5 more years minimum.

 

Wanna bet?

- he wont beat MS' 7 WDCs, in fact I'm not sure he could even break Fangio's 5
- there will be a non MB team winning the WDC within the next 5 years

For me in the long run it will be interesting to see whether he can beat Vettel and/or Prost on stats or not.
And in the short run it will be interesting to watch him beat Stewart's records.

I used to think/hope Alonso would be the next triple/quadruple champion and look what became of that...He probably thought the same

 

+1 I don't think Hamilton will win 5.

Red Bull will be relevant next year. As long as their reasonably good they'll win it IMO. Best designer, best managed team (ignore Mateschitz, he just foots the bill), best driver combination.

 

He most likely have 4 after this year...Maybe Mercedes will not dominate the races like they did in the last 3 years but I think they will be still in competition for both WDC and WCC...So even when he does not get his 5th next year there are more years to come...
As to the comparison with Vettel: it looks like the one ending up more years in the dominating car will be in front. So far Vettel was 4 years in a car capable of winning the title and he did 4 times, Hamilton was sitting for 4 years (2 McLaren and 2 Mercedes) in a good car and won 3 of them, 4 after this season. So it is very much down to whether Mercedes will be in front again in the next years or whether Ferrari gets their act together while Vettel is with them...I think the first is more likely.

 

OP..FERRARI HAD A 20 YEAR DRIVERS TITLE DROUGHT FROM 79-99, THEY DID WIN TWO CONTRUCTORS TITLE IN 82-83. THIS IS NOT NEW TO THEM, JUST A DROUGHT. THEY WILL RECOVER, THEY WILL WIN. AS SERGIO SAYS A FERRARI THAT DOES NOT WIN IS NOT FERRARI. THEY ARE A PURE BRED RACING COMPANY, THIS POST IS ABSURD AND SHOULD NOT BELONG HERE.

 

Im not thinking next year will be a turn-around for all including Red Bull to the point where Mercedes are not competitive. They have amazing resources and are not turning over management or engineers to any great degree.

Joe Saward said the word in the paddock is Allison leaving and the chaos at Ferrari will cost them up to 3 more years of not being as competitive.
I will not be happy to see continued Mercedes domination, but I will not be surprised if it continues.

They are strong in all areas. Horner said they were .3 off the pace here in Germany. That with LH turning the motor down. He is somewhat dreaming, Horner is still. It only appeared closer than it was Im afraid.

 

Some more impressive stats from the past:

In 1954, Mercedes won 4 of the 6 GPs they entered (66% - they only entered the 6 last GPs of the season)
In 1955, Mercedes won 5 of the 6 GPs they entered (83% - there were 7 GPs that season, including the Indy 500 which they didn't enter. At the end of that year, they withdrew from racing due to the Le Mans disaster.)

 

Prost's stats are very good relative to number of starts in an era with much, much worse reliability. Prost is so underrated (I think he was better than Senna). That is what amazes me about MS - his stats are slightly skewed thanks to 3 years in a non-competitive Merc. All his numbers were piled up in the 250 starts of his first career.

I just can't see anyone stopping Mercedes any time soon. I'd bet you no one does for 3 more years, if you want to bet on that

 

Yep. Why is that? NO TESTING HAS GUARANTEED THAT.

that is why Schumey's record is so impressive. He did at a time with several major manufacturers involved and no asinine testing prohibition. That's why I'm not that impressed with mb and the girls.

 

I just want to applaud you for mentioning the Indy GP. It drives me nuts when people leave them off. Bravo!

 

+1

 

Bernie has complained bout Mercedes dominance not being good for the sport. I read GPGuide all the time and this very subject came up months ago.

Ferrari will not quit F1. Enzo would rise from the grave to ensure they remain.

 

They should not give up, particularly when they are so mediocre. What they need to do is secure new management which is not suffering from rectal-cranial inversion.

 

Tks, we are probably the only ones who give a **** but so what

 

Marchionne not satisfied but staying the course



Sergio Marchionne has this week suggested Ferrari will stay the course, despite admitting that the great Italian marque has disappointed in the opening half of 2016.

Both in the influential Italian press and beyond, the perception is that Ferrari is now in 'crisis', having failed to deliver president Marchionne's pre-season targets and now having lost technical boss James Allison.

Ferrari has promoted from within - Mattia Binotto - to replace Allison, and Marchionne seems happy with that decision.

"We took the decision to develop the cars in 2016 and 2017 with our internal expertise," he said, "because we have phenomenal talent.

"For us it is important to utilise our know-how and that is what we are doing," he is quoted by the Italian media, including Tuttosport.

"To say that we need a transfusion of technical intelligence is excessive," Marchionne insisted.

"I'd be lying if I said that I was satisfied, though, so we hope that the second half will be better," he added.

If that sounds a little like than ultimatum to Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, Marchionne insists that he continues to support him.

"We took on Arrivabene because he knows formula one, and we need a team boss like him who is able to work with the people and lead the team," he is quoted by Corriere della Sera.

Marchionne also said Ferrari's driver lineup is right.

"Sebastian is a champion," he insisted, "and we have rightly recognised the work Kimi has done with a new contract for next season.

"I want us to end this season with honour, decency, having given our all at every grand prix. But we cannot waste any more time."

 

Err...

Remember the year McLaren won 15 out of 16 GPs with the duo Prost/Senna?

It could even have been 16 out of 16 if Senna hasn't "met" JL Schlesser at the first chicane at Monza!

Was that not domination ?

 

Well done Mercedes, I say !!

They are head and shoulders above the opposition, and they deserve every success that comes...

 

Had it not be for the 1955 Le Mans disaster in which one of their car was implicated, Mercedes was on course to stay in F1 for several years, according to Alfred Neubauer's memoirs.

It was the board of directors at MB that decided to withdraw, fearing adverse publicity after so many casualties. With insight, it was a rushed decision.

In 55, Fangio won the WDC, and Mercedes the world sport cars championship, even after pulling out of Le Mans. Unbeaten in both categories!!

 

Analysis: Was Mercedes' 2015 season the most dominant ever?

Yes it was, just not quite as good as Merc overall. Some reading for you if you want to check it out. That's also focusing one 1 year. No one has come even remotely close to as dominant as Mercedes has been over a 3 year stretch. Nobody.

Hell, had Hamilton not "met" Rosberg at Spain this year they would be a perfect 12 for 12.

 

I don't think Ferrari should leave F1.

However.......

It would be nice to see them return full force, with a factory backed effort, to GT sports cars and to the prototype division of the Le Mans series. Yes there are the privateer teams running the latest Ferrari GT. But not a serious all factory Ferrari effort ala Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Chevy Corvette, and most recently Ford with the 2016 GT.

 

Drop F1? You are being a silly little boy.
What they should do is drop the red livery. If I ran Ferrari I would go back to the white and blue livery of the NART-entered 158s. Now, those were some sexy colors. I just don't like red Ferraris. I would just love to see Ferrari snobs cringe at the unveiling of a completely unexpected livery.