Team Preview: Ferrari

2015 Drivers:

5: Sebastian Vettel  (2014 finish 5th 167 points)

7: Kimi Raikkonen (2014 finish 12th 56 points)

2014 Constructors' Championship 4th (216 points)

2015 chassis: Ferrari SF-15T

Ferrari had an extremely disappointing 2014 season finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship which is the first time since 2009 that they did not finish in the top three. Ferrari has undergone many changes in the offseason which they hope will lead to improved performance. After Fernando Alonso left Ferrari for McLaren, Ferrari has brought in Sebastian Vettel to the team top replace him. Many comparisons have been made to when Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari, but Vettel states that he does not want these comparisons to be made.

Ferrari also has a new team principal in Maurizio Arrivabene. He is being handed the task of leading Ferrari into a new era in which he will try to bring Ferrari its first Constructors' Championship since 2008 and its first Drivers' Championship since 2007.

Another interesting story to follow at Ferrari for the 2015 season will be the performance of Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen made a comeback to Ferrari last year but his performance was extremely disappointing as he struggled to match the pace of Alonso in the other Ferrari. If Raikkonen does not improve this year Ferrari will definitely be looking on the driver market for a replacement for him in 2016.

Vettel will also be looking for a strong year as well because last year did not match expectations at Red Bull. Many people expected Vettel to easily outscore Ricciardo but this was not the case. Ricciardo out qualified Vettel and also ended up with more points. Throughout most of the year Ricciardo just looked like the quicker driver. Vettel will want to prove to any doubters that he is one of the best drivers on the grid and being quicker than a former world champion in the same car will definitely help.

Ferrari started off testing very strong by being fastest three of the four days at the first Jerez test.  Ferrari claimed that others were sandbagging during this test but they were positive that the car was a step forward from last year. Raikkonen was immediately happy with the car and Vettel  even went as far as saying it was better than last year's Red Bull. The team seems to feel that they can be the second fastest car on the grid based on testing.

Overall, I think Ferrari will be an interesting team to watch as the 2015 season unfolds. Both drivers will be looking for a really strong performance coming off disappointing 2014 seasons that did not match their expectations.

Prediction: I think Ferrari will perform better than they did last year as both drivers seem positive about the car in preseason testing. However, I don't think the performance increase will be enough for them to compete for wins. Overall, I expect Ferrari to be on the podium more consistently but do not expect them to win any races.

How do you think Ferrari will perform over the 2015 season? Do you think they will be at the front of the grid again or do you think they will have another difficult season? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.