Formula 1

" Mid-season analysis - Red Bull still the team to beat"

With ten races of the 2013 season complete, the Formula One fraternity are now enjoying a well-earned break before the breathless flurry of nine races that will decide the destination of this year’s world titles. In the first part of our mid-season analysis, we take a closer look at the four teams that have streaked away from the pack in the constructors’ standings and claimed every podium position going. Red Bull lead the way, but Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus are not far behind...

Red Bull
277 points (Sebastian Vettel - 172 points, Mark Webber - 105 points)

Looking at the championship situation with ten races gone you could be forgiven for thinking it’s been business as usual for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull in 2013, with the three-time world champions sitting pretty atop both drivers’ and constructors’ standings. But truth be told, they’ve had to work extremely hard to achieve the position, and consistency has been almost as important as outright speed.

In the RB9 Red Bull undoubtedly have an incredibly quick car, perhaps the quickest, but at times during the early season - such as at Barcelona - they struggled to run at their ultimate pace because of troubling tyre degradation issues. Undeterred, Vettel continued to perform admirably and when Red Bull got on a handle on the issue from Canada onwards, the world champions have been hard to beat with German winning two of the last four races before the break (for a total of four on the season). The switch to Pirelli’s revised rubber in Hungary certainly seemed to do them no harm either.

History suggests that Red Bull will be able to keep the RB9 competitive until the end of the season, but they’ll need to avoid the kind of mechanical problems that saw Vettel retire from the lead in Britain. If they can do that, the 26-year-old will be hard to overhaul in the remaining nine races - and his rivals know it.

On the other side of the garage, Mark Webber has had an inconsistent - and somewhat unlucky - time in what is to be his final season in F1 before departing to sportscar racing in 2014. There is no doubt that the situation in Malaysia - when Vettel appeared to defy team orders to pass Webber for the race win - riled the Australian. But while the German was able to ride out the storm of controversy, Webber was unable to turn his frustration into positive results in the races that followed.

One final tilt at the drivers’ crown may be out of the question, but the 36-year-old remains a fast and effective racer and appears as determined as ever to add to his nine career wins before he bows out of F1.

Mercedes
208 points (Nico Rosberg - 84 points, Lewis Hamilton - 124 points)

If there is one word to sum up the first half of Mercedes’ 2013 season, it would have to be this: eventful. An awful lot happened at the Brackley-based squad before the season even began, with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda assuming high-profile roles and team principal Ross Brawn piling on the pressure by saying that Silver Arrows must improve on the ‘unacceptable’ performance level they’d shown in 2012. Throw in the addition of Lewis Hamilton and there were plenty of reasons why all eyes were on Mercedes when the action got underway in Melbourne in March.

The Briton wasn’t initially expecting to be challenging for race wins in his first season away from McLaren, but he was on the podium in his second race with the team, thanks largely to some pragmatic team strategy that kept team mate Nico Rosberg behind.

Indeed, the competition between the two former karting team mates has been far closer than many predicted with Rosberg’s smooth, considered approach more than a match for Hamilton’s more rugged style. At the half way point, Hamilton has the edge on pole positions (4-to-3), but it’s his German colleague who is leading the win count 2-to-1 thanks to sterling performances in Monaco and Britain. And if it weren’t for his three DNFs, Rosberg would likely be much closer to his team mate in the points.

But Hamilton, who has struggled with a lack of confidence in the F1 W04 for most of the year, definitely seems to be gaining in momentum as the season goes on, as demonstrated by his peerless drive in Hungary.

The team’s prospects for the second half of the season look good. They don’t seem to have suffered too much from missing the young driver test at Silverstone (having been banned from attending for contravening F1’s rules by taking part in a controversial three-day, 1000 kilometre test with Pirelli using their 2013 car), and the mid-season arrival of Paddy Lowe from McLaren as executive director (technical) has added yet more depth to what was already a talented technical team.

If, as Hungary suggested, the team have turned a corner on the tyre issues that have often plagued them on long runs, they should be contenders all the way to Brazil, even if a championship challenge ends up being beyond them.

Ferrari
194 points (Fernando Alonso – 133 points, Felipe Massa - 61 points)

The first half of the 2013 season has been all too familiar for Ferrari fans. As in other recent years, the Scuderia have, at times, been right at the very front. But far too often for their liking they’ve been out of race-winning contention.

Unlike last year’s F2012, the F138 was relatively competitive out of the box, with Fernando Alonso picking up a solid second place in the season opener in Australia. Felipe Massa also started well, regularly outqualifying Alonso and recording some decent points finishes.

But after Alonso’s accomplished wins in China and Spain, Ferrari’s form has been on a downward slope, with qualifying pace in particular becoming a bigger and bigger problem.

Alonso has managed to keep himself in championship contention with some gutsy drives, but the Spaniard’s frustrations at not running at the front seem to be growing.

Massa, meanwhile, saw his promising early season form unravel with a series of heavy crashes and race retirements that have left him a long way off Alonso’s points tally. A solid race in Hungary will have done him good, but if Ferrari are to climb the constructors’ standings in the second half of the season they’ll need both drivers firing on all cylinders.

As for the drivers’ championship (which the Scuderia have not won since 2007), it would be rash to count Alonso out, even though he slipped back to third in the standings in Hungary. He need only look to his own experiences last year - when his mid-season championship lead was wiped away by Sebastian Vettel - to see how quickly things can change with a decent run of results.

Of course, for Alonso to succeed, Ferrari will need to improve the F138 – and president Luca di Montezemolo has promised that the Scuderia will up their efforts to do just that. The addition of James Allison from Lotus to the team’s technical department won’t transform the F138 back into a race winner overnight, but he might be able to help the team get on top of their on-going correlation issues a little quicker.

Lotus
183 points (Kimi Raikkonen - 134 points, Romain Grosjean – 49 points)

The 2013 season couldn’t have started much better for Lotus - as their rivals struggled with the new Pirelli tyres in Australia, Kimi Raikkonen ran a comfortable two-stop strategy to secure a relatively easy victory.

With the E21 looking particularly good on tyres and Raikkonen seemingly at the peak of his powers, the indications were that Lotus would be serious championship challengers. Whilst that is not necessarily untrue at the halfway point (Raikkonen is second in the drivers’ standings, 38 points behind Vettel), it’s no doubt a frustration to the team that they’ve not been able to reach the top step of the podium again, particularly as Raikkonen has accrued five second place finishes.

Where have they fallen short? Well, the E21 has never been the quickest car on a Saturday, and whilst Raikkonen has proven adept at carving through the field, it makes winning considerably harder. The car’s wet weather pace was also relatively uncompetitive in the early stages of the season, though that hasn’t been such an issue of late.

However, Lotus’s relative gentleness on the tyres has made them a real force in race trim and with some subtly different strategy calls and a little more luck they’d almost certainly have secured another victory. Improving their qualifying form must surely be a top priority for the Enstone-based squad in the second half.

On the driving front, there can be few complaints about Kimi Raikkonen, who entered the mid-season break on a 27-race point-scoring streak. Lotus will be desperate to hang onto the gifted Finn for another season, particularly as Romain Grosjean’s form has continued to fluctuate between brilliant (Germany) and below par (Monaco). However, whilst the Frenchman may have his critics both on and off the grid, he undoubtedly possesses a superb turn of speed and his two podiums (in Bahrain and Germany) show what can be achieved when everything comes together.

It remains to be seen how Lotus will cope in the development race having lost technical director James Allison to Ferrari, but if they can at least stick with their rivals, the ultra-consistent Raikkonen can be expected to push Vettel all the way for the drivers’ crown.

"Franz Tost Q&A: Vettel’s team mate has to bring a lot to the table"

In 2008, Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost oversaw Sebastian Vettel’s maiden F1 win at Monza. Fast forward to 2013 and Tost is now playing a key role in the development of two more Red Bull-backed youngsters - Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - who, along with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen, are on a very short list of candidates to be Vettel’s next team mate (rumours in Hungary linking Fernando Alonso to the seat appear to be just that). We spoke to him about the race for one of F1's most-coveted seats...

Q: Franz, the rumour mill was working overtime in Budapest on who will replace Mark Webber in the second Red Bull car in 2014. How certain is it that one of your protégés will move over to the sister team?
Franz Tost: The likelihood is pretty high. Red Bull Racing is showing interest in Daniel (Ricciardo) and the decision will be made inside Red Bull. So there is no decision yet - but my understanding right now is that it could, in fact, be Daniel.

Q: Three weeks ago Red Bull team principal Christian Horner spoke of a three horse race between Daniel, Kimi (Raikkonen) and Jean-Eric (Vergne). Since last week it seems to be down to a two horse race: Kimi and Daniel. What happened with the third man?
FT: Well, I think that analysis has shown that Daniel is going strong so far - especially in qualifying - that he has raised his game continuously and there is still half the season go where he can gain even more experience. He must never forget one thing: he would be moving to Red Bull Racing - the three-time world championship team - which means that the bar is pretty high. To race alongside Sebastian (Vettel) you better have what it takes if you are not planning to drown. And I think that Daniel - should Red Bull point at him - has it.

Q: How did Jean-Eric take falling out of consideration?
FT: He didn’t expect it that way. But he stayed calm and cool. He is positive that Toro Rosso is a good platform for his future. But let’s make that clear: nothing has been decided yet, even if Jean-Eric was never really in the shortlist of Red Bull Racing. As far as I know. Daniel has 13 races more under his belt - and that does make a difference.

Q: What has the future team mate of Sebastian have to have to survive alongside him?
FT: He has to bring a lot to the table, that’s for sure. Let’s have a look at Seb: he’s a three-time champion - at least per today - which indicates his huge talent. He’s also extremely disciplined; he’s got a sharp technical understanding - probably one of the best in the paddock; he can fight ferociously - he’s proven that time and again; and he is established in a winning team that he has built up with. Remember: when Seb left Toro Rosso to join Red Bull Racing, the team was in no way the winner that it is today - Seb has contributed a lot to make it happen. So if you want to be the new kid on the block you better have all these facts in mind - and show even more commitment to come at least close to Seb. That will be a rough ride!

Q: Sebastian comes across as every mother in law’s dream: he is so well behaved, so accessible, so polite. But with just these qualities you’re unlikely to make it to the top - there must be something under the surface; a completely different side of the same coin. What is it?
FT: His fighting spirit. Yes, he is open and honest, friendly and accessible, but behind his façade there is a massive fighting spirit and, if that sets in, his opponents have a problem.

Q: Now, you’ve given us an idea of what skills the new Red Bull Racing driver has to have - but what is it that he must not have?
FT: Idleness, negligence and lack of discipline! If someone wants to survive alongside a champion he has to focus 100 percent on his job. He has to live Formula One 365 days a year, because that is what Seb’s year looks like. So, if you at least focus on being as quick as him you have to work twice as hard - and that’s a pretty tough road for any driver in the paddock.

Q: If Daniel is the chosen one, what final words will you have for him?
FT: Very simple things. I told him that he’s got six months now - if Red Bull Racing picks you - to prepare for 2014 and never forgetting along that way that in 2014 you will be the team mate of a three-time champion. Prepare mentally…

Q: That’s easily said, but how would he do that?
FT: That in the second half of the season he is inhaling that amount of self-confidence that he needs to survive in a team like Red Bull Racing. A simple example: if the car is not perfect, you override it and don’t lament. You work with what you’ve got as what you got is probably down to your own mistake - so go out and fight! You start to understand that all the others are also putting on their pants one leg at a time - even a Sebastian Vettel. That he is moving over with a high fighting spirit and not settling for a passive role. Our talks move alongside these topics…

Q: That sounds like a father figure…
FT: No, no, I would never call my role the father figure. Mentor - yes.

Q: Even when it comes to private issues? They spend more time with you than with their families…
FT: Thank god with these two there are no ‘private issues’. Jean-Eric and Daniel come from stable private backgrounds, though funnily enough I always thought that those coming from difficult family circumstances are the better fighters, as they had to do it from an early age. Anyway, what I like are drivers who are not completely in homeostasis. There are hardly any super successful people who are fully poised as only a certain portion of disequilibrium nurtures boundless egoism…

Q: Is that what you also witness with Sebastian: boundless egoism?
FT: Thank god in vast quantities!

Q: If the big step happens for Daniel, is it too early for him?
FT: It is early. He hasn’t had a huge taste of success in Formula One so far - and I don’t mean that in the sense of driving - but success changes you mentally. You can tell yourself, ‘hey, I can do it’. It’s a mind game.

Q: You said not too long ago that you keep youngsters for two years - and then the big sorting starts. At the end of the season both will have finished two seasons - will you still keep both in 2014 should one not be moving to Red Bull Racing?
FT: Yes, absolutely. Both are very talented. Both have a future in F1. If you give them a competitive car you will find them at the front.

Q: That sounds like Toro Rosso is on the verge of becoming a ‘normal’ race team by keeping good drivers - and abandoning the idea of permanently nurturing rookies. Can that be?
FT: The two are still youngsters - 22- or 23-year-olds - so you still can speak about a junior team. As I just said, they show good performance and constantly raise their level so I would always fight to keep them next season.

Q: So let’s have a look at Kimi. How would a team with Sebastian and Kimi look?
FT: That would be quite a team! They are two full-throttle junkies!

Q: But we’ve also seen that two ‘alpha dogs’ in a team can lead to headaches…
FT: I would love to have these headaches! I would even skip aspirin! (laughs)

Q: So when will we have a decision do you think?
FT: My guess is at the beginning of September - after the summer break when everybody involved has engaged in final soul searching.

"We must close ranks, say Ferrari"

Ferrari have said that they must ‘close ranks’ and pull together if they are to maintain a championship challenge in the second half of the season.

The Scuderia’s leading driver, Fernando Alonso, has lost ground in the drivers' championship to Red Bull’s reigning world champion, Sebastian Vettel, over the last few races, and the Spaniard has struggled at times to hide his frustration.

In a statement posted on their official website, Ferrari say that some of Alonso's recent comments have not gone down well in the team.

“There is a need to close ranks, without giving in to rash outbursts that, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of a bad result, are no use to anyone,” the statement said.

Ferrari’s president, Luca di Montezemolo, telephoned Alonso on Monday to wish him a happy 32nd birthday, but also to offer some advice.

“All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own,” Montezemolo said. “This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.”

Montezemolo has called for Ferrari to up the tempo, starting at the next race in Belgium, in order for the team to contend for victory again. Alonso currently sits in third place in the drivers’ standings with 133 points to Vettel’s 172 and Kimi Raikkonen’s 134. However, with nine races and 225 points still on offer, Ferrari believe that the title is very much a possibility, provided they maintain their composure.

“This is definitely not the time to start arguing over who was responsible for this or that decision, partly because everything is still possible with nine Grands Prix to go,” the team said on their official website.

“The points are available and so is the potential to score enough of them to win.”