FERRARI
The team the majority of neutrals are pinning their hopes on, Ferrari knows expectations are high. Last year’s improvement was hugely impressive but means the aim has gone from three wins in 2015 to the championship this season, and the early signs suggest it could be a realistic prospect…
Ferrari’s pace in testing was very competitive on the soft tyre - matching Nico Rosberg’s own effort which caught the eye in the second test - and the new car was also clearly a big departure from last year’s design. That suggests there were big gains to be had elsewhere and while Mercedes was clearly hiding its pace, Ferrari too has yet to show its true hand. The Scuderia has struggled to hide its frustrations when a pre-season hasn’t gone well, but there was a quiet confidence come the end of testing.
In Sebastian Vettel the team knows it has a driver who will consistently challenge for wins give a car capable of being anywhere near the front. All that remains to be seen is just how much pace Ferrari still has to unlock.
Silbermann's view
This is the team that really has to take the fight to the Silver Arrows and we can expect even greater leadership skills from its Team Principal. After a year in the job, Maurizio Arrivabene probably now understands which way the cars come down pit lane, making it much harder for Felipe Massa to run him over in future. The Prancing Horse made great progress last year and the team was really beginning to gel, which means that it’s time for the next step: bitter wranglings, Machiavellian shenanigans, sackings and instability. Kimi Raikkonen will notice none of this while working on his repertoire of catchy answers to questions, including, “meh”, “bwaah", “foof" and “anyway”.
