There's no doubt that the Mercedes would still be winning with the 2018 tyres on it. BUT, I do think Ferrari and Red Bull both would've taken victories. Red Bull certainly 1 in Monaco, Ferrari probably a split between Mercedes with equal wins. Newey had to change the car after testing after he made it too tight which caused the car to overheat. I don't think they where real contenders yet due to the engine needing upgrades still. They'd be taken several wins throughout the year but ultimately not really compete, unless the Ferrari duo and Mercedes duo kept sneaking points of each other.
Even if Ferrari were, lets say "favoured" with a better tyre it doesn't hide the fact that they have thrown many a race through poor race strategy, driver error or car failure. The Merc's have been bullet proof for quite a while now so everyone else has to up the anti. I still think the Merc's would struggle if they got mid pack as Bottas proved last Sunday. Their car is definitely at its best to be in front in clean air. Even with Newey at the helm, SF are better so they are a worthy second. The Honda engine has possibly made the biggest gains since it started and I am sure it will improve further with time. Testing or the lack of it is the major problem for others to catch up, so we are stuck in the status quo until a major "ingenious" breakthrough in the aero department is found. Tony
yep but I took that into calculation. It would at least be somewhat of a competition. Ferrari to throw wins away through incompetence, Mercedes to be strong everywhere regardless...Red Bull ever improving. Red Bull indeed not the best car but undoubtly harmed by that engine. Ferrari's engine is immensely powerful, Mercedes fantastic still. Remains to be seen how much Honda can improve but with Verstappen there, he'll make the difference to be a contender. That car definitely is 3rd best, though.
The issue is that most race series including F1 don’t want competition. They want the illusion of competition. F1 could let each team do best what they do best and let them ALL compete. They don’t. Rules are drafted to promote a specific team or hold a specific team back.
The famous quote from Smokey Yunnick: "These guys cheat. How do I know ? Well, I cheat and they beat me !!"
