F1 Mid-Season Review: Ferrari - The revolution

After a dismal 2014 season, the most famous manufacturer in the world underwent a massive overhaul. Maurizio Arrivabene took over from Marco Mattiacci as team principal, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo left the team, and Fernando Alonso was replaced by Sebastian Vettel. But perhaps most importantly, James Allison, one of the top car designers in the paddock, would have a significant impact on the design of the 2015 car. Heading into testing was a complete unknown.

Low and behold, the post-revolution Ferrari team was a quick one. Vettel settled into his dream team immediately; straightaway looking as though he was where he belonged. And that came through in the results; a podium in his first race with the team, and in the second he took victory over a squabbling Mercedes team.

Although the Mercedes has looked to be the superior car, Ferrari have been the ones picking up the pieces when the Silver Arrows trip over themselves. Kimi Raikkonen very nearly took victory away from Lewis Hamilton when both Mercedes cars encountered a brake issue on the final two laps, Vettel managed to split the two Mercedes when they called Hamilton’s strategy wrong in Monaco, and was the man on a mission in Hungary where he took his second win of the season.

But the season has not run entirely smoothly for the team dressed in scarlet. A gamble on a supposedly better wheel nut system, for quicker pit stops, has cost them many times, with Raikkonen leaving the pits with only three wheels on his wagon in Australia, and Vettel losing the podium to Felipe Massa in Austria thanks to a prolonged pit stop.

Reliability has hit both drivers; Vettel in Canada, and Raikkonen in Austria. On both occasions the car didn’t pass Q1. But Raikkonen has also been struggling with traction issues, much like he did last year; with spins in Canada, Austria (which caused him to crash out of the race, and Britain, losing him positions and points.

But, after their heroic display in Hungary, Ferrari are now in a prime position to take the championship from right under Mercedes’ nose. Vettel currently sits 42 points back from championship leader Hamilton, and the team are very excited about the upgrades they have planned for the next few races. Certainly, they have given Mercedes cause to keep checking their mirrors.

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