All of Ferrari’s rivals, including Lewis Hamilton, believe the Italian team has now overtaken Mercedes and enjoy the best engine on the grid.
The Scuderia’s power unit has been the target of intense scrutiny this season, with teams wanting clarification over oil burning and a very complicated ERS which some believes produces more than the permitted level of electrical boost.
However, despite numerous checks, the FIA remains satisfied by the legality and on the straights, it is apparent the Prancing Horse is ahead of the Silver Arrow in terms of top speed.
“They have a super engine,” Red Bull’s Christian Horner said top Brazil’s Globo. “Our chassis is probably the best of the top three cars, but we couldn’t get past them. They have power to spare.”
Hamilton, who was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel on the long haul between Turns 1 and 3 on Sunday in Spielberg, also think Ferrari is the new performance benchmark.
“They’re ahead of us in that sense, there’s no question,” said the Mercedes driver.
While such talk might possibly be expected by rivals, when a customer, like Sauber team boss Fred Vasseur, talks up the performance you know he’s not playing any mind games.
“Having the same version of the Ferrari engine is making all the difference for us,” he said. “We are improving our chassis step by step, but it is undeniable that we have the help of this year’s engine.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s race at Silverstone, however, a circuit characterised by high-speed corners, the man in charge at Maranello admits expectations are lower.
“On paper, Silverstone looks quite difficult for us,” he told Sky Italia. “Aerodynamics are very important and it will be a difficult race for us, so we have to stay focused.”
The luxury the Italian team does have is heading to Britain ahead in both championships after Mercedes’ first double retirement in over two years on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring.
