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When Max Mosley pushed through the F1 engine freeze at the end of 2006 he believed performance to be at similar levels. Today it appears less so. Within the constraints of the freeze you'd expect less talk about horsepower differentials, but more than once, especially from Renault personnel, there have been rumblings about how far its spirit has been respected. Based on monitoring carried out at Hockenheim, one team points to the Ferrari engine being strongest, with Mercedes close and Renault potentially as much as 30bhp down. Maximum speed figures from Valencia last weekend seemed to bear that out. At the first intermediate point in qualifying the Ferraris and Ferrari-engined Toro Rossos were fastest - Raikkonen (287.7km/h), Bourdais (287.1), Massa (287.0) and Vettel (285.0). Alonso (282.0) was the fastest Renault and the Renault-powered Red Bulls of Webber (281.1) and Coulthard (280.9) were 18th and 19th. Race speed trap figures again had the Ferraris and Toro Rossos fastest, with Adrian Sutil's Ferrari-engined Force India fifth. How can there be any suspicion or unrest within the context of a freeze? Hasn't Ferrari simply done the best job? While people aren't exactly jumping up and down, there is concern about the flatness of the playing field. © 2021 Autosport
In the magazine: Wheldon the Lionheart In AUTOSPORT magazine this week, we reflect on the life of Dan Wheldon with those who knew him best, and remember the day, just a month before his death, when he showed off IndyCar's staircase of talent Mag 
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