F1: Contenders for second place in the Constructors Championship

Finishing second is a trophy in F1

With the 2013 Formula 1 season nearing its end, three teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus remain in close contention for the coveted second spot in the Constructor’s Championship.

At the Indian Grand Prix, Red Bull finally clinched the Constructor’s title with a monstrous lead of 157 points over Mercedes. So now it’s the fight for the second place which involves Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus in a cut-throat competition where the Mercedes are currently in second position with 313 points, followed by Ferrari with 309 points and finally Lotus with 285 points. With only three more races to go and less than 30 points separating the aforesaid teams from each other, the fight for second position is going to be colossal.

Can Mercedes pull itself up after three disappointing seasons?

When Lewis Hamilton replaced Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, there were several speculations about whether he can perform well with a team which is not quite able to compete with the front runners. But all these speculations were put to rest, when both Hamilton and his teammate Nico Rosberg qualified on the front row during a number of occasions and produced strong results in several races. Their performance was phenomenal when it came to one lap pace which helped them in qualifying, but their race pace suffered due to fast degradation of tyres and other issues due to which they usually fell behind in the race. However, after the tyre changes brought about by Pirelli post midseason, they seem to have overcome this limitation, but still their results have been full of ups and downs throughout the season.

Can Ferrari reclaim second position in the Constructor’s?

Ferrari had a great start to the season with both of its drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finishing in top four at the Australian grand prix. But as the season progressed, it was Alonso who brought the team most points while Massa performed in patches. Alonso has performed exceptionally well in races, but his qualifying pace still remains a matter of concern, with Massa out qualifying him a number of times. Massa, since the midseason break has improved his form, but needs to remain consistent.

Can Lotus overhaul the Prancing Horse, and outshine the Silver Arrows?

Lotus had a dream start to the season with Kimi Raikkonen winning the first race emphatically in Australia. Since then they have been consistently securing podiums and points. Most of these podiums have been the courtesy of Kimi, while his teammate Romain Grosjean struggled during first half of the season, but has had resurgence in form lately. After the midseason break, Lotus seemed to struggle, but they have now picked up their performance as since Singapore at least one of their drivers has had a podium finish. They have certainly closed up the gap although they are still 14 and 18 points behind Ferrari and Mercedes, respectively.

The battle for second position isn’t over yet. Mercedes have got great qualifying pace, which they need to convert into better race results. Ferrari have got two very talented and experienced drivers, who need to improve their performance in the remaining last three races and as for Lotus, it can remain competitive, provided Grosjean continues with his rejuvenated form and if Kimi can find his qualifying pace, which will ultimately help him improve his race results. None of these three teams seem to be having a clear upper hand against the other, the battle among them is going to be nail biting.