At last Formula One is back! Well, almost – before racing resumes at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, the final part of this column’s midseason review is focussed on the shining lights and disappointing letdowns among the constructors of 2015.
The best
Ferrari – P2, 236 points
Maurizio Arrivabene was criticised for being little more than a cigarette salesman when he took the reins at Ferrari, but his team management skills have proved integral to the team’s resurgence this year. Without him, the changes made by the outgoing management in 2014 could not have been converted into race wins this season.
Coupled with one of the sport’s best designers in James Allison, motorsport’s most famous team has set itself on a trajectory for success. What it has lacked in outright pace it has made up for in opportunism in a way you’d expect a seasoned team to do, and has made fewer mistakes under the pressure of having to fight for race wins than Mercedes.
With a few more horses under the bonnet, Ferrari could be a genuine threat.
Toro Rosso – P7, 31 points
What’s not to love about Toro Rosso? Its chassis is arguably the best of all but Mercedes, and its driver pairing is one of the most exciting of the field. What’s more, it is beating big sister Red Bull Racing despite operation on a fraction of the budget.
It’s target of fifth place in the constructors’ championship is being hampered by reliability problems, at least some of which lie out of its hands at the door of its power unit supplier Renault. But the seven-point gap to Force India in P5 is still within reach. STR has earned the title of the quiet achiever in 2015.
Need improvement
Mercedes – P1, 383 points
Runaway champions, yes, best car of the field, sure, strongest driver pairing in the sport, certainly – but make no mistake, Mercedes doesn’t have it all.
Mercedes’ strengths were built upon Ross Brawn, but without him cracks have begun appearing – tyre choices in Malaysia, Hamilton’s howler in Monaco, and Rosberg’s last pit stop in Hungary. It has left many to think, ‘This wouldn’t have happened under Ross’.
If Ferrari continues to find pace this season, these cracks will be ripe for exploitation if left unaddressed.
Williams – P3, 151 points
Williams predicted 2015 would be a dress rehearsal for a title tilt in 2016, but it is so far difficult to judge it on this criterion. It earnt points for having the tenacity to bounce back from a sluggish start to the season and from a couple of tough races at slow speed circuit, but counting against it was its slow-moving naivety when it found itself in a winning position at Silverstone.
Though its car is there or thereabouts most weekends, the big question for Williams is whether it has failed to capitalise on its 2014 advantages sufficient to outmanoeuvre its big-spending rivals in this regulation cycle.
The rest
Red Bull Racing – P4, 96 points
Blame for Red Bull Racing’s struggles is shared equally between itself and its troubled engine supplier Renault, but it has taken until the middle of the season to admit even a small amount of fault for its tumultuous 2015 season.
So that’s points off for the car and points off for its attitude, which has been deeply unbecoming of a four-time world championship team. It has a 55-point deficit to Williams in P3 if it is to make anything meaningful of this otherwise wasted season.
P9 – McLaren, 17 points
Even after the ever-stoic McLaren admitted that the pain caused by its reunion with Honda is stronger that it had ever imagined, it pushed the well-worn company line that it is all for the best.
Though few doubt that this works relationship won’t deliver success once the all-new chassis paired with an all-new power unit finally learn to like each other, two racing institutions of this magnitude should have delivered more than this.
Its goal to compete for podiums by the end of the year is lost, and its new target must be avoiding a repeat in 2016.
Honourable mention
Manor – P10, 0 points
It’s hard to judge Manor competitively given it’s competing with 2014 machinery, but its very presence in the paddock is testament to the fortitude of the team and the belief its management has in its potential.
Its future may be perpetually uncertain, but its pluckiness to prove that it belongs in Formula One, even in the face of Bernie Ecclestone publicly decrying its presence at the Australian Grand Prix, deserves a nod as one of the first half of the season’s good news stories.
Ryan
Guest
Yer it is tough to judge between Ferrari and Red Bull but the Renault is so dam crap that i have to give it to Red Bull :)
Michael Lamonato
Expert
I still think Ferrari's chassis is better than Red Bull's. Red Bull is coming good now that it's tweaked its aero philosophy, but it could've done that sooner had it not opted to blame Renault for so long. As for Ricciardo, well... we just have to wait and see. Seems like Ferrari and Mercedes in the short and medium terms are out of the question, so there aren't many places for him to go. Fingers crossed whatever RBR does is for the best.
Ryan
Guest
Well i agree that Red Bull has royally stuffed up this year and that their chassis was not up to scratch at the start of the year but as it stands at half way i think Red Bull has The "Best Of The Rest" Chassis. But i agree Torro Rosso has done allot better in terms of pure performance in the context of their respective budgets. Hopefully Red bull's woe's don't to adversely affect Danny Ric though he has allot of potential.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Think of it as value. Two rookies (as good as they are, they're still learning) competing in a car that's been built at a fraction of the price with an identical engine has at times – even if it's only been a handful of occasions – been good enough to outrace the RB11. Based on the resources available, STR has pretty much maximised its potential when Red Bull has wasted its energy complaining, which is what this ranking's about. It's not totally disregarding results, but it's results in the context of potential, if you like.
Ryan
Guest
Can you please explain to me how Torro Rosso is beating Red Bull? they have less then 1/3 of their points. They have had several impressive qualies but then had terrible races. Some good results but they are in no way beating Red Bull. unless your just talking about expectations and completely disregarding results?
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Absolutely not, you cannot separate Ross Brawn from the success Mercedes is experiencing today. Don't forget it was under his guidance that Honda, under the guise of Brawn GP, became a constructors champion after years of wallowing in the bottom half of the field, and it was him again who set up Mercedes' current structure that has enabled it to develop this dominant car. I could go on – it was him who convinced Lewis Hamilton to sign for the team, for example – but his reputation really should speak for itself. We will see! Honda's F1 PR has had a record of being overly optimistic this season, and this week they've said the engine could be a match for Ferrari. I look forward to seeing how they go...
Simoc
Guest
Mercedes had a dramatic improvement after finally ditching Ross Brawn. While great at Ferrari he was a flop at Mercedes when they never got over tyre wear problems. The new regulations and new management has finally put Mercedes at the front, something Brawn couldn't achieve despite a huge budget and top personnel. Honda expect their engine to be significantly faster this weekend. We shall see.