Formula 1: We're All Going on a Summer Holiday - The Top 5

stamping the arrival of Toyota into F1 motor racing? God knows for the investment these results are long overdue.

McLaren Mercedes

McLaren seem to be the team going into the summer holidays with the most form and momentum, granted that I am under no illusions that the Hungary win wasn’t handed to them on a silver platter with a side order of ‘Ha ha ha’ and lashings of ‘Payback is a bitch’.

McLaren have won three on the trot now, with three 5^th place finishes to back those wins up. That's 42 points out of a possible 54, in comparison to closest rival Ferrari’s 20 points.

Those results bring them within sniffing distance of the Ferrari smoke that is pouring out of the back of their cars. Things are certainly staying tight at the top, as I put it not so long ago.

In terms of development of the cars, it again seems to be McLaren that are holding the torch, showing drastic improvements to the MP4-23 to bring it not only back in line with its rival F2008 but perhaps overtaking it in terms of performance (no solid evidence to support this claim).

Development has always been a strong point of McLaren's and, at this pace, will they soon have a second per lap on their Italian friends unless something is done?

Heikki Kovalainen gets his first win of the season and Lewis Hamilton driving exquisitely of late are two factors that will feature very heavily in the McLaren campaign. They will be a formidable opposition come Valencia. Watch out for a continuation of form.

Here is how the teams stand over the summer holidays.

Drivers Championship (Top):

1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - 62
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 57
3. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - 54
4. Robert Kubica (BMW) - 49
5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW) - 41
6. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) - 38
7. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) - 22
8. Fernando Alonso (Renault) -18
9. Mark Webber (Red Bull) - 18
10. Timo Glock (Toyota) – 13

Constructors Championship Standings:

1. Ferrari - 111
2. McLaren-Mercedes - 100
3. BMW Sauber - 90
4. Toyota - 35
5. Renault - 31
6. Red Bull-Renault - 24
7. Williams-Toyota - 16
8. Honda - 14
9. STR-Ferrari - 8
10. Force India-Ferrari – 0

The tables give us lots to ponder over but will form have anything to do with the season as the guys take to the cars after their cruel summer?

One thing is for sure...those boys in the factories will not be on holiday, “You snooze, you lose!” They will be working round the clock on developments for their cars and running tests on them with their computers and wind tunnels.

For the last three years the driver/team who won the race before the summer holiday did NOT win in the first race back.

Of course the trend was broken if we go back one further year, when Michael Schumacher managed to put those wins together even with all that suntan lotion on his gloves.

So will the trend continue? If so, that means that McLaren will not win in Valencia and one of the teams with a bigger impetus will take the top step. Alternatively, will McLaren break the trend and carry the momentum through after the summer break with further advancements to the MP4-23 and take another minimum 10 points for the campaign?

Guys its over to you on this one, as usual, don’t forget stars and POTD if you wish and as always, all comments whether they be negative or positive are welcomed. Let’s spark up the debate.

Part 2 in the series which details "The Bottom 5" can be found by clicking here - enjoy!

Ben, Over and Out!

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