Can Ferrari challenge this season? (of course it has spoilers)

In Canada, Ferrari are expecting a big power upgrade which really should make up a a few more tenths and at certain tracks, put them head to head.

Until then we need heat on our side or tracks with high tire wear. Bahrain is normally quite hot and it's a track where Vettel and Kimi have done very well at in the past, so maybe we can win there. Barcelona there is a small chance, depending on heat and how mercedes eat their tires. Ferrari will easily 2 stop there but if they can one stop (or 2 stints on softs) they might edge Mercedes.

Monaco there is no hope on beating Mercedes, unless one of them bangs it into the wall (always a possibility).

I think Ferrari have a decent chance to win 5 races total this year. Next year they will have a straight fight for the title.

 

And Alonso should be regretting his decision almost instantly when & if that happens =D

 

Later I the season I think their aero will put them even closer.

 

Regret his decision to come in 2nd or 3rd place again? Might as well be last, nobody is talking about how great Rubens was.

 

Ouch!........

And to some here, he's far & away the best jockey out there right now......

The jury remains out IMO.


Cheers,
Ian

 

Even the best jockey in the World can only do so much on a three legged horse!

 

Compared to 2014, SF has come a log way. Have faith.....

 

I agree with Bas..

 

Mark my words: Ferrari have a higher development ceiling than Mercedes. The ferrari by comparison to the mercedes looks like a tinker toy in many respects. They have a lot of room to grow with the primary questions being: when will they stop development for this season to make a push for 2016? And how good is their aerodynamic development, in other words, are they in a position to really push and develop the car if they really want to? They may be even more competitive in coming months, but their capacity is a bit of an unknown as is their intent for this season.

 

What we need now is the screaming back!

 

I think he means that even though the Ferrari is closer to Mercedes, it's still not a title winning car, so it doesn't really matter if he's there or McLaren.

And yes, Alonso is still the best out there.

 

Ferrari has shown in recent seasons that they can make a decent car like the current one but we still don't know if the new crew can develop it along the season or if they are going to get stuck like Fry, Tombazis and friends.

 

It seems to me that the SF 15 may have a chassis that is superior, or equal, to the Merc. But, there is still a PU deficit. Kimi had times in sector 1 (the sector without a straight) what were better than the Mercs'. Does anybody know how the speed trap times compare.

 

To be honest, I think Ferrari has succeeded in out-developing the best of the rest, and are the closest team to Merc.

But Merc is still in a league of their own. Just look at both Nico's and Lewis' laptimes on their last 2 stints in China. They were managing the race at their own pace, if push comes to shove, I think Merc have way more at their disposal.

Barring any DNFs or calamitous weather I don't see Ferrari posing a real challenge to Merc (Constructor's)

As for Driver's Championship, I think if Nico and Lewis have a serious b!tchfest, then that opens it up for Seb & Kimi =)

 

According to Allison on RAI, Ferrari is planning upgrades at Baharain and in Spain. So before Canada. Mercedes isn't sleeping either.

 

Will the heat of Bahrain help Ferrari like in Malaysia? I noticed the race is being held later in the day, I would assume because of heat.

 

Ferrari will give Mercedes a run for their money. It's very loud and clear at this point that Mercedes feels the pressure. However, there is a lot of room for improvement for the Ferrari. I don't this the same applies for the Mercedes.

 

I absolutely think they can challenge. Will they win the titles? I highly doubt it, but I can see them having a 1998-esque season. McLaren started out way faster in 1998 and MS/Ferrari clawed their way back into it.

Still Michael's finest season, IMO. He was a beast that year. I'm just thrilled how much progress they have made. To be the 2nd fastest car and challenging Mercedes with 3 podiums on the year already is a massive achievement when you look at how bad things were at the end of last year.