Mercedes-Benz powered McLaren Formula 1 team looked to be more competitive in Spain. Their car was good enough to propel Lewis Hamilton back on the Podium. Unfortunately, he was still behind the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Yes, the team improved, but not by much. McLaren was behind the defending champions throughout the race weekend from practice, to qualifying and the race. For a team gunning for no less than the world title, much work is clearly needed.
All they have proven is that they are still quicker than BMW Sauber. Beating "The Prancing Horse" is still the main objective however.
But that goal will be difficult.
For one thing, Ferrari has been known to hold the edge in tracks with fast sweeping corners. Sepang, Bahrain and Catalunya are tracks that suits ferrari's strengths. The next race in Turkey, which happens to be Massa's favorite track, will suit the Italian squad.
It would be difficult for McLaren to match that advantage in only two weeks time.
In addition, unlike last year, the post-Brawn-Todt-Schumacher Ferrari team is no longer suffering from reliability issues. With the exception of Australia, both Ferraris were able to race flat out at the front of the field showcasing unbelievable engine life (since every engine is required to last two full race weekends).
At about the same time last season, Ferrari was beating McLaren. However, only one Ferrari would make it to the finish line whereas McLaren had both drivers finish the race. That allowed McLaren to be able stack up points in the standings.
Now however, both Ferraris are quicker and both are finishing ahead of McLaren. That is no doubt a huge problem. McLaren has to solve its cars' lack of pace now rather than risk the possibility of Ferrari turning the season into a landslide.
Another area of concern would be Heikki Kovalainen's shunt. A front left tire blow out caused a huge accident that thankfully did not yield any injuries.
Yes, the team improved, but not by much. McLaren was behind the defending champions throughout the race weekend from practice, to qualifying and the race. For a team gunning for no less than the world title, much work is clearly needed.
All they have proven is that they are still quicker than BMW Sauber. Beating "The Prancing Horse" is still the main objective however.
But that goal will be difficult.
For one thing, Ferrari has been known to hold the edge in tracks with fast sweeping corners. Sepang, Bahrain and Catalunya are tracks that suits ferrari's strengths. The next race in Turkey, which happens to be Massa's favorite track, will suit the Italian squad.
It would be difficult for McLaren to match that advantage in only two weeks time.
In addition, unlike last year, the post-Brawn-Todt-Schumacher Ferrari team is no longer suffering from reliability issues. With the exception of Australia, both Ferraris were able to race flat out at the front of the field showcasing unbelievable engine life (since every engine is required to last two full race weekends).
At about the same time last season, Ferrari was beating McLaren. However, only one Ferrari would make it to the finish line whereas McLaren had both drivers finish the race. That allowed McLaren to be able stack up points in the standings.
Now however, both Ferraris are quicker and both are finishing ahead of McLaren. That is no doubt a huge problem. McLaren has to solve its cars' lack of pace now rather than risk the possibility of Ferrari turning the season into a landslide.
Another area of concern would be Heikki Kovalainen's shunt. A front left tire blow out caused a huge accident that thankfully did not yield any injuries.
Two possibilities loom. The first is that the front left tire was defective and McLaren and Kovalainen were just unlucky. The second, which is more pressing for the team, is that their set-up caused the car to wear the front left tire more quickly. if so, McLaren has yet another factor to monitor during test runs rather than simply focusing on how to make the car faster.
Judging by the Spanish GP, it is highly unlikely for McLaren to turn things around in Turkey. The only time that the team may turn the tide would be in Monaco: where the tight street corners made McLaren unbeatable last year. If the team can maintain its advantage from last year, than the title fight may again get real competitive rather quickly.
But then again, Ferrari did mention that the F2008 has a shorter wheelbase to increase its pace and competitiveness in tighter circuits. Only time will tell if McLaren could indeed catch up to "The Prancing Horse".
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