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Ferrari SF71H
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Analysis

Has Ferrari missed a crucial area of development?

There's a lot of sense behind Ferrari's 2018 package at first glance, but has it gone far enough in two key areas compared to Mercedes?

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For Ferrari to mount a real season-long challenge to Mercedes for either championship, it needs to be on top of the reliability problems that cost it last year. And it needs the drivers, especially Sebastian Vettel, not to be quite so hot-headed.

On top of that, Ferrari needs a car that is a bit faster, especially at the higher-speed tracks. After all, at the end of last year its average performance over the season was still 0.178 percent down on Mercedes. That's a lot better than the 0.866 percent deficit of 2016, but to put up a season-long challenge it needs to be nip and tuck between the two every race. Plus, there might just be another team or two joining the party, so it's not just about Mercedes.

Previous article Super Thursday as Ferrari rolls out the F1 car it hopes will go one better than 2017
Next article No shortcuts on new McLaren F1 car, says Boullier

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