Ferraris may not be as fast as we thought
So how much faster do we think the Ferraris could have gone yesterday in the Spanish Grand Prix?
Kimi Räikkönen, in the post-race press conference, hinted that the Italian squad had plenty up their sleeve when he said that, “we didn’t need to push. If we wanted to push, we could go much faster, for sure, but there’s no point in risking anything or using the engine more than you needed to.”
But, before we all get too over-excited or down in the dumps, it may not be that clear cut. To start with, drivers will always say that they could have gone faster to add that extra punch to those that didn’t beat them. And, perhaps more importantly, the Finnish driver then, when asked about the race, went on to say, “for sure, I needed to push all the time, so it wasn’t the easiest.”
So what do we think? I certainly don’t think the Ferraris are that much quicker than the BMWs and McLarens, but they were averaging much better lap times throughout the Grand Prix.
Barcelona is on par with Monaco when it comes to overtaking so there really was no need to build up a 20 second gap. I must admit, if there weren’t so many safety car interventions they may well have done. But for a driver who says so little and chooses his words carefully, what does Kimi mean when he said he could have gone faster, but he was pushing the whole time?
Filed under: Blogs, Events, Formula 1
Tags: BMW, Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Spanish Grand Prix
Ed returned from a stint in Milan, working on the Italian version of Autocar, and joined the team in August 2007. After two years of countless scooter accidents and a constant battle against coffee addiction it was a relief for him to start writing in his mother tongue. As well as managing the website, Ed writes various features and is a regular contributor to CNN, Channel 4, Sky News, the BBC and a number of radio stations. He was also awarded the MSA/Renault Young Motoring Journalist of the Year in January 2009. 
Aleš Norský:
April 28th, 2008 12:21pm
I am sure that Räikkönen could have gone faster, because he did not at all look like someone driving at the limit. Today’s F-1 is so different than in the olden days. If Jim Clark were driving that Ferrari instead, he would probably have lapped the field or have broken down in the process. Still, I am sure that without the safety cars, Räikkönen would have put some ten seconds between himself and Massa, with Hamilton another ten or so seconds back.
Ed Foster:
April 28th, 2008 3:30pm
Ales,
I agree about current Formula 1 drivers not pushing near the end of a race, but I suppose back in Jim Clark’s day they didn’t have rules about how many races they had to use their engines or gearboxes for.
That said, the cars are a lot more reliable nowadays. However, you don’t get extra points for finishing 20 seconds ahead rather than four…
EF
Aleš Norský:
April 28th, 2008 4:14pm
Well, it is a different world today, as it should be. You are right about the reliability. Back in the day, the drivers had to count on breaking down in at least 25% of the races, so I guess it was more natural for them to push and see what happens. Anyway, the main thing is that Kovalainen is OK, it looked quite grim for few minutes.
Ed Foster:
April 28th, 2008 4:36pm
It certainly did – how anyone can survive an imact of 26G is a testament to how the cars are built nowadays.
Also how the drivers (like Kubica in ‘07) can walk away from a crash like that and then be on the pace a few weeks later is quite extraordinary.
EF
Ben Harris:
April 28th, 2008 5:10pm
I guess Raikkonen’s attitude makes more sense than Mansell in 1992, decimating the opposition with a string of fastest laps(remember Silverstone?) and then moaning about (imaginary?) problems with the car!Although Mansell was better to watch! And of course as happened there, if one team dominates by too large an amount the rules may be changed to peg them back(although can’t see that happining with Ferrari…!), so this may be a factor in teams sandbagging, Ferrari certainly didn’t look at the limit in 2002 some of the time..