Advantage Lost?

by Craig Normansell with others, on Jul 27th, 2011

If the last two races are anything to go by, it seems to massive advantage Red Bull had over it's main rivals - McLaren and Ferrari - has been eroded away. So, this week, we're asking this week;

"Has the tide turned against Red Bull?"

This week has an army of Badger writers debating their way through this week's topic are myself, Craig Normansell, Benson Jammichello, Adam Millenueve, and starting the whole thing off, Tess Tarossa;

Formula 1 success depends on confidence. The more confident you are in the car, the better you will do (in theory!) So I'm all for a little Red Bull bashing to dent that bravado - not because it's Red Bull (it could be HRT for all I care), but because blanket dominance is no fun for anyone (well, apart from Sebastian Vettel perhaps).

So yes, I think the confidence tide IS turning - and the more people say it the more it'll be true.

Up next is Benson;

I think it's a bit much to say the tide has turned. There were a number of mitigating factors as to why the Red Bulls didn't quite click on raceday but, suffice it to say, I don't think it's terminal.

There are always races during the calendar where the chasing teams will be closer to / overtake the leading team in terms of performance. It happens nearly every year and isn't really much of a surprise. I don't think Sebastian Vettel will be losing much, if any, sleep.

Of course, there remains a possibility I'm underselling the progress of McLaren and Ferrari and overselling Red Bull's dominance, but I doubt it. Ask any of the drivers on the grid and the car they'd like to be sitting in is a Red Bull. That's just the way it is.

Adam puts his point across next;

I don't think the tide is turning on Red Bull just yet, it's just that the Bull fight has been intercepted by a couple of prancing horses and a some silver arrows. Many think that the fat lady has sung already regarding the championship and that may well be the case, but for now she's sitting down and having a cup of tea.

People have been saying that Vettel had a terrible day on Sunday, but he still came 4th and still has a huge lead in the championship battle.

From a fan point of view, it's great that the other top teams have made progress and can now take on the Red Bulls, but their car is still largely the class of the field - if it remains as it is now, we're on for some cracking battles for the second half of the season, because although their car is still in front, Webber and Vettel have to keep one eye on their mirrors with Ferrari and McLaren coming back at them.

On a championship front, Sunday may have been the first glimpse of the famous mid-season dip that drivers in the lead of the championship suffer from - Jenson in 2009 lost control of his dominant start to the season until the last race of the season, 2010 was all over the place and going back in time, there have been many seasons where after a successful start, the title leader suffers in the mid-season.

Let's see what happens in Hungary before jumping to any conclusions on the health of the Bulls, but either way, much depends on what the teams do ahead of Belgium and the run towards the championship climax. The tide may not have turned just yet, but it's safe to say that RBR aren't quite riding the crest of the wave they had earlier...

And finally, I have my say;

There's a famous saying around Championship chases being a marathon, and not a sprint. That certainly is the case for Sebastian Vettel, who although finished fourth at the weekend, is still streaks ahead in the standings with half the championship gone. It was an average day for the youngster, not a total disaster.

I'll give credit to McLaren and Ferrari where it's due; both teams have picked up their game and have either matched or beaten Red Bull in the past two races. Alonso's Silverstone win was by far the most impressive as for the past two years no-one was able to touch Adrian Newey's machines there. It's just their natural habitat of sweeping fast corners.

But, I have to say the advantage is still with the Milton Keynes based squad. Remember last year? The Ferrari's scored a 1-2 in Germany and it seemed they were on their way up, but come Hungary RBR were back at the front, and by a long way. It seems it's the circuits that are playing to their rivals strengths, and with the final few races at tracks where Vettel has been unbelievably strong in recent seasons, the fat lady will be warming her vocal cords well before the curtain call.

There you have it from us. But, what do you think about McLaren and Ferrari fighting back? Let us know below.