Ferrari's worst start to a season ever

[Dom]

There's been lots of press coverage about how if Ferrari failed to score a point at Bahrain then it would be their worst start to a season ever. In the event Raikkonen came home sixth, scoring three point, so that disaster was averted.

Or was it? In both 1980 and 1981 Ferrari failed to score for the first three races and then scored two points in the fourth race (Jody Scheckter at Long Beach and Didier Pironi at Imola respectively). However that was in the days when you only scored points for the first six places - Scheckter and Pironi both came fifth for their two points. If we apply F1 Rejects rules for comparing pre- and post-2003 results then Raikkonen, despite scoring more points, had a worst result than either Scheckter or Pironi. Therefore 2009 is actually Ferrari's worst start to a season ever! Reject of the Year here they come!

[noisebox]

100% correct!

[CarlosFerreira]

I was seeing the race yesterday and thinking the same. The fact that makes it so worrisome for Ferrari, I reckon, in not just that they're slow and are getting little points; they're also unreliable on track, the pilots seem out of it and the clumsiness in the pits from last year is still there. Add to that some bad luck, organizational turmoil and the ever-inflated expectations, and Ferrari's in a bad, bad shape.

I suppose only someone so non-chalant as Kimi could just push on a forget about the rest.

[alvaro3d]

Let's not forget that just and only just Ferrari rescued those points because Felipe destroyed his front wing clashing with Kimi at the start, they were lucky this time. If in Spain we don't have both Ferraris on points 2009 is going to be a very difficult mid-season

[chrismc_DC2]

As an overall poor season, I reckon 1992 must rank as one of Ferraris' worst ever. The F92A was a really poor car with a pretty gutless V12. I remember it being amongst the slowest through the speed traps all year

The car also enabled the previously-talented Ivan Capelli to have a truly REJECT year. He ended up being sacked & replaced by Nicola Larini, leaving with shattered confidence & a broken spirit! He moved to Jordan for 1993 but only lasted 2 races before hanging up his helmet, seemingly no longer having the required edge...

Reckon this years cars will have to go some way to be as consistently mediocre....

[KSvt]

Poor car, yes, but that '92 Ferrari sure looks a lot prettier than the all-conquering Ferraris that came later. That old adage that if it looks good, it's probably fast must not be true.

[Goa]

You have to look at the positives... at least they can't DNQ this year like they did in 1980.

[Dom]

You have to look at the positives... at least they can't DNQ this year like they did in 1980.

Massa gave it a bloody good try at in Malaysia though!

[Faustus]

Poor car, yes, but that '92 Ferrari sure looks a lot prettier than the all-conquering Ferraris that came later. That old adage that if it looks good, it's probably fast must not be true.

Couldn't agree more. It's definitely my favourite Formula 1 car and quite a daring design. Shame it didn't work on track as well as it did in the wind-tunnel.