Sunday 17 July 2011

FORMULA 1 : WHO'LL BE SECOND ?

It's difficult to know whether the British Grand Prix was a turning point or not and, if it was, whether it will make any difference.

Red Bull didn't win it, but they were still second and third and, a miracle notwithstanding, are heading for a repeat of last year's double triumph. The constructor's title is their's barring an act of God and Sebastian Vettel seems certain to retain the driver's championship. What did seem to change last weekend was the position of McClaren who are now looking at third place amongst the front runners, rather than being the only serious contenders to Red Bull.

Ferrari are always a team to be reckoned with but when one of their drivers is Fernando Alonso this is more so. Alonso's win last weekend may well have been a turning point in this year's title race, though it's probably too late to make any difference to the eventual outcome, and Alonso's team-mate, Massa, hasn't yet really troubled the scorers very much this year. It looks as though Alonso could be a real challenger in the coming races but Red Bull's, and Vettel's, lead is already so vast as to be almost unassailable.

With all of this, what of McClaren ? Their season seems to be a mess, with Hamilton struggling to reach the end of the race because of fuel issues and Button being forced to drop out after a botched pit-stop; it suggests that all is not well with the Woking-based team. A poor result at the German Grand Prix next weekend and the sporting press will be infested with suggestions that the team is in turmoil, that Hamilton and/or Button are headed for pastures new etc., etc.

For what it's worth, I see Alonso as the main man in Germany, followed by Vettel and Webber; Hamilton and Button will be lucky to make to the top 6, with Massa, Rosberg and Schumacher likely to be close competitors. It won't be long before McClaren give up on this year and starting looking to next.

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