Red Bull driver Mark Webber says Ferrari is fast, McLaren still unpredictable
Three of the pre-season test sessions have already been completed but the Red Bull driver, Mark Webber, still finds it tough to predict the strongest team on the 2011 grid. While talking to media earlier today, the Australian stated that he is happy with his team’s car, believes Ferrari will be very strong next year and is still unsure for the pace of McLaren.
The 2010 tracks saw the top three teams, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren take the lead at most of the tracks, while Mercedes GP and Lotus Renault GP followed in hot pursuit. This year, once again, the same three teams are expected to dominate. The Mercedes GP car has shown poor reliability so far and Michael Schumacher and the President in charge of Mercedes-Benz motorsport, Nobert Haug, predicted that the team’s car would not be as competitive as its rivals. Similarly, Lotus Renault GP is not expected to be among the top teams this year, owing to the unfortunate accident of its ace driver, Robert Kubica.
This means that the Formula 1 arenas will witness the three front running teams of last season, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, indulge in a brutal battle once again this year. After the third test at Barcelona, reporters asked the 34-year-old for his observations. Just like the 2009 world champion, Jenson Button, Webber also believes that Ferrari is the team to watch this season.
The Red Bull driver stated, "Fernando (Alonso) works for them (Ferrari) and he's pretty handy. Ferrari finished the year very strong and they've come out of the gates very strong; the car is running, it's always out there, they aren't hanging around when they are out there, they're pretty quick and the team are always organised."
However, Alsonso, the two-time world champion, called Red Bull’s RB7 the fastest car on the 2011 grid. The Austrian squad bagged both the Drivers’ as well as the Constructors’ title last year, and many believe that its RB7 is going to do have superior performance this year.
While taking about McLaren’s pace, Webber said, "We're not sure what's going on with McLaren. It's obviously early days with their car." McLaren launched its car after the first test session and has completed lesser testing than the other teams. However, the British squad believes that the car will improve and show better results in a little more time.
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