Tune in for debate about Ferrari v Mercedes, Fernando Alonso's explanation for his crash, and the Red Bull-Renault relationship
Tuesday 21 April 2015 15:19, UK
Sebastian Vettel has his mojo back and Ferrari exploited a chink in Mercedes’ armour, according to F1 Midweek Report guests Mark Hutcheson and John Watson.
After being swamped by team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in his final year at Red Bull as he relinquished his world championship crown to Lewis Hamilton, Vettel marked only his second race for new team Ferrari with a faultless drive in Malaysia to beat Hamilton to bring the new season to life.
“It was refreshing,” agreed former F1 driver Watson, a veteran of over 150 races. “Vettel has his mojo back. He lost it in 2014 but now he has it back. He has a car which suits his driving style and he made it work in Malaysia.”
But was it a race won by Ferrari or a grand prix lost by Mercedes?
“I’m not persuaded that, when things are slightly out of jilter, Mercedes are as good at thinking on their feet as other teams,” noted Watson.
“After the Friday running, Mercedes would have known that they wouldn’t have it easy,” argued Hutcheson. “But we need to be careful. Mercedes for sure still have an advantage.”
The show, featuring guest appearances from Sky F1’s Martin Brundle and Ted Kravitz, also discusses cracks in the relationship between Renault and Red Bull, Fernando Alonso’s explanation for his crash in testing and the rate of progress at McLaren following their switch to Honda power.
