Austria was another disappointing weekend for Ferrari. A poor qualifying from Räikkönen left him 14th on the grid, and only after getting promoted, due to various drivers taking penalties. At the start, he lost the rear of the car and collided with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, which resulted in them crashing into the barrier. Thankfully both drivers walked away fine. A slow pit-stop, due to problems with the right rear, cost Vettel from getting on the podium out in 2011.
2015 British Grand Prix Ferrari Preview
No. 5 Sebastian Vettel (DEU)
2015 Form: 4,5,2,3,5,3,1,3
2014 British GP: Grid P2, Race P5
Vettel has a good record at Silverstone. He won on his second time out here, in 2009, and would have won in 2013 if he hadn’t suffered a gearbox failure, 11 laps from the end. He has scored two more podiums. A third place in 2012, and ,more memorable, a second in 2011. He was battling with his Red Bull team-mate, Mark Webber, for the position near the end of the race. The team asked the Australian to back off, but Webber kept on pushing, only to see the German successfully defend the charge. Last year, he was involved in another titanic battle, this time with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. In what was the highlight of the race, they battled for many laps, with Vettel coming victorious in the end, with an tremendous move at Copse.
No. 7 Kimi Räikkönen (FIN)
2015 Form: DNF,4,6,5,2,4,4,DNF
2014 British Grand Prix: Grid P20, Race DNF (Accident)
Last year’s weekend was similar to how Austria went for the Finn. A poor qualifying, due to been caught out by weather conditions, caused Räikkönen to start the race in 20th place. He crashed on the first lap, which resulted in a red flag. The race had to be suspended for an hour until the damaged barrier got replaced. It was first time since 2002 that Räikkönen hadn’t finished the race. In the other ten outings, Kimi was on the podium four consecutive times before his sole win here, in 2007. That was the last time Räikkönen stepped on the podium here, and the Finn’s best finish since his comeback was fifth, in both 2012 and 2013.
Mercedes have pulled further away from Ferrari. More alarmingly for is how Williams seem to have closed the gap in the last couple of races. The fight at the front is important, but they will have to be wary of the challenge from behind. The Scuderia will be hoping for a change of fortunes at the British Grand Prix this weekend, where they have the most wins for a constructor. The season is at a pivotal point, and Silverstone may go a long way in determining Ferrari’s true championship credentials.
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