Where do the ‘slow starter’ Ferrari stand in the 2011 Formula 1 season so far?
Seven races of the 2011 Formula 1 season have been done and dusted and so far Ferrari have not shown their true colours on the track.
The Scarlet team have always been a slow starter in the Formula 1 season in recent years but the 2011 season is almost a snail’s walk for them.
Currently, the team has been unable to win any of the seven races of the season and are more than 100 points adrift of the leading team Red Bull in the constructors’ championship battle.
Ferrari stepped into the 2011 season with a conventional car design which was nowhere near the roaring Red Bull and the surprisingly fast McLaren team.
Although the Ferrari team has the biggest budget as a team compared to the other 11 teams of the season, still they failed to make their car competitive enough.
The 2011 season kicked off in Australia and Ferrari were way behind in the podium battle and only managed a top ten position finish from both of their drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
Same results were seen from the legendary team in the next few races of the season and it was thought that in near future the team will jump back to their rightful position which did not turn out to be the case.
Eventually the Ferrari team had to replicate the innovations of their rivals which brought some respect for the Ferrari fans all over the world.
Ferrari brought some innovations in the car before the Spanish Grand Prix which almost paid off. Fernando Alonso was uncatchable in the opening stint of the race and took the lead over the two Red Bulls and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton in the very first
lap of the race.
Alonso was driving well at the top keeping Vettel and other championship contenders under pressure. However, it was not long before the Spaniard had to give up the hopes of finishing the race on podium. Massa on the other hand, struggled to handle the fast
Ferrari car and was unable to finish the race.
Still Ferrari showed that they have woken up in the 2011 season for a battle to the end.
In the next Monaco Grand Prix, once again Alonso showed that Ferrari have a right to be loved and admired all over the world. The Spaniard was right on the tail of Vettel and was lapping quicker than the German. However, luck once again was on Vettel’s side
as he smoothly saw the chequered flag after changing tyres when the race was stopped.
In Montreal, although Ferrari were looking very much a contender for the win but luck was once again not on their side as Alonso was out of the race in the 37th lap after a collision with Jenson Button and Massa only managed a sixth position.
Ferrari’s worst performance in the Formula 1 season has urged their technical director Aldo Costa to say that they will start working on the 2012 car just after the Silverstone Grand Prix as championship hopes for the team are almost over.
Nevertheless, 12 races are still to be contested in the 2011 season and if Ferrari can win some races in the near future, the season will once again lighten up for the Scarlet team.
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