Ferrari is back. The Italian team got a well-deserved double win at the Monaco Grand Prix. The last time Ferrari got a double win in the streets of Monte Carlo, was in 2001 with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichelo. Ferrari is having one of the best start of season of this decade. Will they be able to become world champion in this year? Since 2007 with Kimi Räikkönen the Italian team has not achieved this privilege. Their driver Sebastian Vettel is running as a clear candidate to win the world championship this year. He has won half of the races and has a 25-point lead to his most direct rival. But we have to be cautious, there are a lot of races ahead and everything can change.
The question that needs to be ashed is, what is happening with the Mercedes team? The problems seem to have reached a critical point. The drivers are not comfortable with the car, the car seem to lack speed in the race, especially in the slow corners where the Ferrari outstrip them. But the biggest problem comes with the ultrasoft tire. Mercedes has a hard time bringing this tire on temperature.
The team which has even more serious problems is the Mclaren Honda team, it looks like they doesn`t seem to find the key to run the Honda engine. Yusuke Hasegawa, the highest authority of the Japanese, announced that it will be very difficult to bring the promised engine upgrades to the Canadian Grand Prix. The situation is becoming more complicated, as Zak Brown, CEO of the Mclaren team, does not hesitate to express his concern about the motivation of Fernando Alonso. Especially after the disappointment in the 500 miles of Indianapolis. Where the Spanish driver after an extraordinary debut, in the fight for victory once again been let down by an Honda engine. Far away from the goal of motivating him, Alonso's frustration is increasing and he does not hesitate to express it to the press. Mclaren Honda knows, that they have to improve as fast as possible, if they want the Spanish driver to stay in their driver’s lineup of in 2018.
Perhaps one of the problems are the cost of the engines. At least, that is the view of Helmut Marko, advisor to the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams. The Austrian ex-driver has not hesitated to criticize the current rules of Formula 1. In his opinion the problem lays in the current hybrid power units, he thought they are responsible for the financial problems of many teams. In addition, the engines complexity makes it very difficult for a company like Honda to be competitive. Hybrid technology is too expensive and counterproductive for competition, says the Austrian. According to Helmut Marko, the Formula 1 needs a simple and strong engine, which does not exceed 10 million dollars. Thus, the teams wouldn`t be drowned economically and other manufacturers could be encouraged to enter Formula 1.