What is the latest you have heard about Ferrari power unit development? At the British GP, it was said Ferrari had found an improvement.
@F1Eoin, via Twitter
I'm not so sure I'm seeing this big step that everyone is talking about. People like to talk and find reasons - no, make that excuses - for their own performance. But let's take a more rigorous look at the lap times, expressing the fastest lap either Ferrari or Mercedes has achieved at each event this season as a percentage relative to the fastest outright lap from that event, then averaging them out over three blocks of four races.
Ferrari | Mercedes | |
---|---|---|
Races 1-4 | 100.204 | 100.236 |
Races 5-8 | 100.227 | 100.182 |
Races 9-12 | 100.145 | 100.091 |
Since the figures don't vary dramatically over the course of these blocks, I can't see anything to back up the popular perception that Ferrari has taken a massive step relative to Mercedes.
To continue reading this feature, subscribe to Autosport Plus
Expert opinion. Technical insight. Unbeatable analysis. Subscribe today for unlimited access to the world's best motorsport journalism.Subscribe to Autosport Plus
- Completely ad-free environment.
- Access Autosport Plus - the best motorsport analysis, insight and opinion.
- No monthly news limit.
- Explore Forix, the world's most comprehensive motorsport stats database.
- Find out more about Autosport Plus
Are you an Autosport magazine subscriber? Activate your Plus account