I dont think anyone expects them to be the Number 1 car. But i do feel that Ferrari have gained competitiveness and that the British GP result was not just a result of others losing competitiveness
I think someone should post a pre-race preview which get's promoted to an article, similar to this. My writing sucks so I couldn't do it.
Forza - its always easier to edit and pass comment than do the original. I'd be happy to try and smooth the work if you wanted a confidential critique?
I've written one. There's a few unknowns in there though (DRS zones and things like that) so I'll stick it up tomorrow or Thursday.
Hamilton for the win, purely as it'll give me more points in the prediction league if it happens Realistically its Vettel's and Alonso's to fight for, potentially ending in a clash and a suprise McLaren win. /I doubt it
Sorry to be a nuisance but can one of the mods change bark/nick selection to me (Thomsen), im the same guy lol, having issues changing my username so looks like im stuck as a German uboot captain for now!
In the shadow of the legendary Nordschleife sits the Nurburgring's GP-Strecke. The layout is quintessentially German in its highly technical nature, featuring a blend of corners, tight, twisty sections, some higher speed areas and heavy braking zones as well as changes in camber and gradient. It's the first race held here since 2009 when a manic Mark Webber screamed triumphantly over his team radio as he secured his maiden grand prix win. Pirelli have allocated the Medium and Soft compounds for the race. The difference in lap times between the two compounds expected to be about 8 tenths, and assuming a dry race, the front running teams are likely to adopt a three stop strategy. The forecast suggests rain all day Friday, dry on Saturday and raining during the race, but the weather in the Eiffel Mountains is notoriously unpredictable and highly changeable. The DRS activation zone for the race is along back straight heading into the NGK chicane. The chicane is considered the prime spot for overtaking along with the tight first corner, so hopefully the FIA will get the length of the activation zone long enough to generate opportunities without neutralising the chicane as an action area. As it stands (and if the last race is anything to go by it's subject to change) the rules governing off-throttle diffuser blowing are set to revert to Valencia spec, i.e. the teams are free to do as much blowing as they like, providing the engine maps don't change between qualifying and the race. There has been much talk about Ferrari's pace at Silverstone, and whether their first race win of the season was due in part to the regulation change. The fact is that Ferrari had been threatening for a number of races. They looked menacing in stages of the Monaco, Canada and Valencia grands prix, and a substantial upgrade package brought to the British grand prix is likely to be the leading contributor to their increased pace. The package included a new flexible front wing and several updates to the rear of the car. The first session of qualifying also hinted at an improved competitiveness on the harder compounds, an area they'd struggled desperately with at the start of the season. Technical Director Pat Fry claims they have understood the problems which plagued the beginning of their season, notably inconsistencies between the team's windtunnel results and on track performance. The weekend is therefore shaping up to be a fierce battle between Red Bull and Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel has dominated the first half of the season, but he will be all too aware of what Fernando Alonso could do in the last ten races if Ferrari have the faster car. And that is the subplot to this weekend's race. Alonso has driven brilliantly this season, and finally has the car to give Vettel cause for concern, but he knows with a 92 point defect he can't afford a single mistake. Vettel only needs podium finishes to secure his second World Championship, but will surely be keen to nip Alonso's title charge in the bud. The two drivers are at the top of their games, and are expected to have very similarly paced cars this weekend. Even if the Championship does become a procession for the Red Bull driver, both will be keen to lay down a marker in Germany. Join the debate in the Official German GP thread.
I'll merge this with the chat thread once I work out how to promote it to article. Apologies also for just concentrating on the Vettel-Alonso battle, I'll try to focus a bit further down the grid next time I write one.
Great post there Abs, An important two weeks for the championship (although i find myself saying that every race now), if Ferrari (Alonso) can finish ahead of Red Bull this weekend, they have a good chance to redoing it again next week. As for the weather, another wet race would spice up things in the mix which could lead to an exciting weekend.
Great post AG. McLaren seem to be under the impression that they will be the ones fighting Red Bull in Germany and not Ferrari. They say they're not being complacent, but Neale's comments do seem dismissive of Ferrari's chances - almost as if they believe (or hope) that the removal of the ban will restore things to how they were in Valencia. I find that very hard to believe, and the Nurburgring circuit isn't one that plays to the strengths of McLaren. They shouldn't be pinning their hopes on the Valencia settings. I reckon they'll be at least 0.5 slower than Alonso in qualifying. Even with Neale's wildly optimistic opinion, they are very confident of being slower than Red Bull - doesn't bode well for the rest of the season. Any thoughts on McLaren's chances at Germany?
I am Nick, please change me moddies from Bark/Nick, this might be the one thing I can win on here as have no chance with the sweepstakes given I usually get Trulli or worse!
Following on from my earlier comment about McLaren's chances here (which nobody responded to ), Mark Webber believes the biggest non-Red Bull threat to him will not come from the McLaren drivers but instead from Alonso. Press conference: Thursday, July 22 - 15h00: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) Nick Heidfeld (Renault) Adrian Sutil (Force India) Timo Glock (Virgin) Friday, July 23 - 16h00: James Allison (Renault) Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari) Mark Gallagher (Cosworth) Norbert Haug (Mercedes) Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber) EDIT: Some pictures from the Nurburgring: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/264603/nurburgring-start-line-moved/ The start line at the Nürburgring has been moved 240 metres further down the main straight for this weekendâs German Grand Prix, due to the increased size of the field. Formula 1 last visited the circuit in 2009, when the field contained only 20 cars. However, with three new teams having joined last year, that number now increases to 26 and therefore three more grid rows. The start line is moved so all cars can set off from the straight, as opposed to some being placed on final corner Coca-Cola. The finish line remains in the same location as previously. The other change for this year is the kerbs on the exit of Turn 4, which have been modified to prevent drivers from gaining time by running wide onto the run-off area.
