Comunicati Stampa - Sorry but I respectfully disagree.

Sorry but I respectfully disagree.

And here is why.

The top 4 teams got to continue racing for 2/3 seasons at the very top while everyone else was forced to tank their cars. Ford tried not to tank and failed our engine build completely. Senna is now tanking to finish their engine build (I believe, this is surmised not definite fact).

So what has actually happened? Well the top 4 teams widened the rating gap AND still ended up with engines better than the supplier options in the very first season! By next season there will be no supplier engine equal to the top teams. Suppliers were supposed to give an advantage for 2-3 seasons...turns out it's not even 1 season.

From what I know of the other teams there are teams in the lower part of the table with 94% engines also. So if you're a top, or mid tier team with a supplier engine you are absolutely not guaranteed a better engine this season.

You suggest the gap to the top might lessen and that's where I really disagree. Ford have finished 5th 3 of the past 4 seasons (we've had fun fighting for it vs Senna and others) and since we got there what has happened to our rating? Nothing. We topped 1200 once, briefly, and dipped to about 170 for a bit, but in the past 3 seasons we have stayed absolutely stagnant. Without one of the top teams making a fatal mistake it is impossible for us to gain rating over the duration of a season. Which means we stay 5th. The top 4 stay 1-4 and everyone else is S.O.L when it comes to anything more than a few luck points here or there on specific tracks or due to DNF's.

There may now be a 'choice' but sadly it just doesn't matter. The top teams are so far ahead, for instance Red Bull had more money than us AFTER we sold our engine back AND claimed our share issue and got 5th place and a max voting point donation, that even if a lower team tanks, buys the best engine and goes all out for one season they still won't be as fast, because the top teams are building ALL OUT with more money and better employees every. single. season. Just look at the new cars. Two of the top teams have A+ chassis.... I'm sorry, but you simply can't, and won't, ever compete with these guys any more.

The days of pulling your team up by their bootstraps effectively ended once Porsche made the top 3 a top 4 and shut everyone else out of gaining any rating above 1200.