Its all about the Engines
#1

As can probably be told by my previous posts one of my personal pet peeves with F1 is Christian Horner and his constant moaning about his teams sufferance due to running a weaker engine than Ferrari and Mercedes. (I still want to like him, I really do)

I am the first to admit if Red Bull had either a Ferrari or Mercedes engine I think it would be the best car on the grid, and maybe just maybe Red Bull would dominate. (But then we all know Red Bull would share its Aero secrets with the other teams to make it fairer to all and ensure the competitive nature of the sport!)

However given that many think Mercedes have the best engine (I think that is a debatable point) how do you account for the abysmal performance of the Williams car compared to Mercedes the works team? Sure the drivers at Mercedes are substantially better and its obvious the car is not as good but just look at the differential its enormous.

Then flip over to Renault, how utterly and completely crazy is it that a works team can not just be beaten by a customer team but left literally and figuratively miles behind. Then there is McLaren who are running the same engine who are miles behind Renault.

It just goes to show, indeed prove beyond reasonable doubt that F1 is NOT just about the engines its about a whole host of things (Many of which I have absolutely no idea).

The next time Horner gets on his Orange box about his teams poor engine performance I really wish someone would say to him "Christian, can you imagine how good Ferrari and Mercedes would be with a Red Bull chassis"

Okay I have got that rant of my chest I promise not to mention it for at least another week and in any case I have to find something to badger Forza with!
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#2

Engines. Chassis. Aero. Drivers. (in no particular order of importance)

Mercedes are the epitome of what happens when you have the best of all 4.

Williams are the proof that you can have the greatest engine this sport has ever seen, but without one or several of the other elements you can still find yourself anchored to the bottom of the tables. McLaren too.

With respect I categorically disagree that there is even a question that Mercedes have the best engine. Ferrari are close, even on a par in terms of performance, but with grid penalties and no overtaking, reliability is just as- if not more- important in modern Formula One, and in that respect Mercedes are still leagues ahead.


Purple Banana (a.k.a John or JB  Smile )
"The flowers of victory belong in many vases." - Michael Schumacher
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#3

There is no question Mercedes have the best engine. It's not even a debate. The question is the extent to which they have the advantage. I no longer think they're anywhere near the triple digit Bhp differences we once saw. Some sound analysis has them with a 50 Bhp advantage over Ferrari, while others have it down to 15 Bhp. It does seem to fluctuate by circuit though, maybe engine maps for track specific characteristics are the cause? Who knows, but it is no longer the case that Mercedes can turn up with a house brick of a car and let the engine do all the work.

It is now clear, certainly in races, not just at the frontof the grid, in tier 1 if you will, but also throughout the rest of the field in tier 2 that the engines are close enough now that aerodynamics, chassis / suspension and driver can make a difference. That's what the evidence suggests to me thus far any way. Of the top three I think Red Bull have the best Chassis, although at certain tracks I actually think the Ferrari works best, and I'd put Merc in third spot with a very 'peaky' chassis.

Aero is clearly Red Bulls strength, but again Ferrari are right there with them on most tracks. Again, Mercedes are probably third here, once more with very 'peaky' pergormance in the aero department. The truth is that this means at some tracks the Mercedes looks phenomenal, whereas at others it looks awful compared to the other big two. Meanwhile the Ferrari works well everywhere, looks best at a lot of places, and has only looked poor in Spain. Red Bull on the other hand get hurt at "power" tracks.

It's much closer than it has been for over a decade in that respect. However, all round, after 8 races I'd want to be driving a Ferrari most weekends, and a Mercedes or a Red Bull every now and then. It is a great compliment to Ferrari that they've not only reeled Mercedes in, but have started to pull ahead. Given the embarrassment of engineering talent Mercedes have, that's an outstanding achievement.

PS. That is not to say that the other two can't or won't out develop Ferrari this season and ultimately end up with the better car. The development war is going to be intense.
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