Is the Ferrari the worst car in GPC?

[toasty]

#309

Only a week ago, the scoreboard was full of Ferrari entries, most of them taking the #1 spot; the McLaren made a few appearances, but only on the high-speed tracks; and nobody would even touch the Williams.

Fast-forward and the Ferrari doesn’t have a single #1 spot on the scoreboard! Does this make it the worst car in GPC? What does this mean for DGC? Will anybody even race a Ferrari in 1989?

[Tijn]

#310

Haha 😀

Well first of all, maybe we as drivers are at fault? Hm? But yeah, it does seem that the Ferrari allows for a fairly quick lap time to be set relatively easily. Possibly because of the superior handling, even a novice can get it ’round the track without too much trouble.

Doing the same thing in a McLaren or Williams takes more effort, but once you succeed, chances are the times will be quicker because of their higher speeds.

Maybe that explains it?

I don’t think the Ferrari is the worst car exactly. Especially for racing against the AI, I quite like it for its ability to overtake around corners. But maybe it’s not the best for setting quick lap times, even on the bendy streets of Monaco or Detroit.

That being said, the scoreboard is just a snapshot of course. Maybe tomorrow Ferrari will be at #1 everywhere!

[wan]

#313

I don’t know what to think anymore! Is it because of the cars themselves, because of our skills? I guess our sampling of GPC scores is too small to make a definitive call.

Anyway it’s quite telling how we change our minds about the cars every week – GPC’s balancing is pretty thought out it seems.

[AndriesW]

#333

I can understand the process and I think I have experienced it myself at the time… long time ago. The Ferrari is easier to drive because of better overall handling. When you are passed the beginner stage you will probably prefer the McLaren because of the better acceleration and higher top speed. Because once you are good enough to keep the car at reasonable speed on the track you will gain time without effort at every straight (with the McLaren compared to the Ferrari).
But the next step is to get better and better in taking the corners. And then you will experience the shortcomings of the McLaren and fall in love again with the Ferrari!

[Endurance Swimmer]

#2420

All in all I find the McLaren fastest on 3 tracks and the Ferrari the fastest on the rest. The Williams gets nothing (which is kind of appropriate considering in 1988 they didn’t win a single race after Honda withdrew their engines from the team late in 1987 and they were stuck the unreliable and underpowered normally asperated V8 Judd).