Red bull has set the standards for this season. A team, which was believed to be the new kids in the block, have now given the other teams a run for their money. Currently, they have two wins under their belt in five races of this years’ racing season. Driver quality on the other hand is a key ingredient for success as well. There is no doubt that purely in terms of speed, no one can come close to Webber and Vettel. This is exactly why the title race this year may eventually be decided between these two drivers.
Ferrari and McLaren, who are the bad boys of motor racing, are hoping that the unique street circuit at Monte Carlo will cause the downfall of the Red Bull team. However, once Sunday’s proceedings are over, will we get to know if these hopes are out of purely expectation, or are actually true?
Looking back at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton's McLaren was 0.834 seconds slower than Mark Webber. The statistics show that Webber’s lap time is 1% faster than all other participants of the race. In F1 terms, a difference of 1% is quite significant.
Hamilton won the third spot in the qualifying race. However, the superiority of the Red Bull team is there for everyone to see after the upgrades.
With all the teams applying the big upgrades before the Barcelona GP, it was assumed that the gap between Red Bull and the rest of the pack would cut down. Nevertheless, what transpired on the tracks was a totally different story.
On the contrary, the superiority of Vettel and Webber had improved significantly, which was more to do with the restructuring of the aerodynamics of the two cars.
Apart from the front wing, the entire car has been modified after the race in China. The changes were far more aggressive than any of the rival teams had anticipated.
Looking at the details of Barcelona’s run in the qualifying rounds, both Vettel and Webber had been driving the uphill segment of the track in the sixth gear; clearly a gear higher than the rest. Their top speed of 160 mile per hour was almost 12mph superior then others as well.
Advantage of down-force, which is needed to have that edge, is estimated to be around 120 kilograms. However, the down-force may not be a factor in the sharp corners of Monte Carlo.
The role of a driver can be more significant in transcending the natural level of the car while managing the narrow twists of the track in Monte Carlo compared to the more technical and fast sweeps at Barcelona. Corners and Monaco are much slower and shorter.
The remaining Red Bull drivers are in the third and fourth spot in the standings. With 12 races to go in the season, Jenson Button and Alonso have a tough fight ahead of them. Red Bull look all set to take Formula one by storm, unless the other teams can come up with a technically brilliant answer to the car which really does seem to have wings.
Tags: