How can Red Bull and Ferrari win 2010 Formula 1 Championship
Despite being 29 points behind McLaren, many still believe that Red Bulls are favourites to win the championship this year. While no one seems to write Ferrari off, here is what Red Bull and Ferrari need to do.
Red Bull
Qualifying: Red Bulls are unmatched when it comes to qualifying. They have claimed nine pole positions in ten races and no one seems to challenge them. The solution is simple - start first, finish first. Red Bull have thrown away some of their pole positions right away. 5 race wins from 9 pole position is something they need to improve on.
Exhaust Blown Diffusers: Though a lot of teams are designing exhaust driven diffusers introduced by Red Bull, they cannot seem to do an equally good job with them. Red Bull have spent a lot of time on these diffusers, and had the opportunity to actually test them. The rest of the teams cannot match Red Bull there and so it means backed by superior parts, they will always have more pace and more down force. Advantage Red Bull.
Both Drivers Need to Deliver: Both Red Bull drivers are delivering but the problem is that they are taking turns. They have qualified multiple times as one-two but produced a solitary one-two finish so far. One driver wins the race, while the other either crashes, retires or manages to collect only a few points. There is a double disadvantage in falling down the order after good qualification. Red Bulls not only loses the points they should score, but their opponents gather the points that they shouldn’t score. A few races with double podiums would help them a lot.
Team Harmony: Driver rivalry in the same team is known to ruin championships. Alonso and Hamilton lost out in 2007 and now Webber and Vettel are on the same track. Both crashed into each other in Turkey and lost 31 points, Webber nudged Vettel away in Britain and they lost 12 points. Both drivers must look to complement each other on the track, during the second half of the season. Webber and the team should also put their differences behind instead of finding ways to belittle each other. This championship cannot be won if they continue to battle amongst one another.
Championship Lead: Red Bull are only 29 points behind McLaren and with the new point system, this difference is as good as nothing. No matter how strong and focused McLaren are, all Red Bull have to do is win. A couple of one-two finishes and Red Bull will be in the lead, regardless of where McLarens finish on the track. If there is ever to be another one-two finish, the safest bet is Red Bull. They have the pace and they have the quality, they just need focus.
Scuderia Ferrari
Competitive Car: The last two races saw Ferrari score only 4 points, which can be solely attributed to their recent run of bad luck. F10 is capable of winning the races as they have done consistently well in qualifying. They were faster than McLarens in Britain and Valencia but safety car incidents ruined both their race. Ferrari have what it takes to win the races, they just need to get rid of the spell of bad luck.
Red Bull and McLaren Rivalry: Red Bull has already made several mistakes in the heat of the battle and many are expecting that relationship between the McLaren drivers will soon boil over as well. If that happens, Ferrari will be the team that would gain the most. Ferrari has had enough bad luck, now they need some good luck in the form of teammate rivalries at Red Bull and McLaren.
A Tale of Two Halves: There’s only a few seasons that were completely dominated by one team. Most seasons see a switch from one team to the other when it comes to winning races. This happens because several teams make some big developments during the season and start winning races. Red Bull reaped the benefits last year when they won most of the races during the second half. Ferrari, in 2006, posed a serious threat to Renault who won almost nothing during the second half. Once Ferrari starts dominating the latter half of the season, they will stand a good chance of closing in on their rivals.
Tracks Favour Ferrari: The tracks that are to follow this season, favour Ferrari more than any other car. Ferrari have won record number of races in Germany, Brazil, Italy and Belgium. With a little effort, Ferrari can start winning the rest of the races.
Massa Needs to Deliver: Alonso has been the pick of Ferrari driver so far, having scored 98 of their 165 points. Massa has been sleeping lately and scored only 6 points in the last 4 races. He needs to support Alonso and score a few quick podiums. Ferrari would already be in a much better position had Massa performed to potential. However, as it is, it’s not too late to step up.
While the teams know, what is it they need to do, the question remains how they will manage all that. The next race in Germany this Sunday will provide many of our answers and make the picture clearer. The next two races in a space of 8 days will prove pivotal in deciding the championship and we can expect all these teams to perform at their maximum.
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