Ferrari - 8/10
On the one hand, Ferrari’s improvement compared to 2014 is remarkable, but on the other, it was just that poor last year. A complete overhaul last winter - with Fernando Alonso, Luca di Montezemolo and Marco Mattiachi being replaced by Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene - paid dividends, though the car and power unit were being worked on long before the new trio’s arrival.
Vettel has brought calm to the team, seeming at home at Maranello and in a car he feels comfortable in. Unlike his final year at Red Bull, Vettel once again gets the maximum out of the car on almost every lap, and Ferrari should be praised for the way it has handled its new star.
The progress made at Ferrari is most evident thanks to Kimi Raikkonen. Full of praise for the new regime, Raikkonen has shown flashes of the impressive driver who returned to F1 in 2012 and rose from 12th in the standings in 2014 to fourth behind Vettel this year.
Ferrari rattled Mercedes’ cage on a few occasions this season, it just needs to do it on a consistent basis next year to see how the champions react under real pressure.
