Too early to tell if upgrades have allowed Mercedes, Ferrari to reach parity in performance

HOCKENHEIM (GERMANY) - Sebastian Vettel's despair at the price he paid for the small error he made on the 52nd lap of what might have been the last Formula One German Grand Prix was just the tip of an unhappy iceberg floating towards the Ferrari camp last weekend.

And yet everything had looked so rosy when the local boy - he was born 52km away in Heppenheim - took the 55th pole position of his career as title rival Lewis Hamilton lined up only 14th following his Mercedes' hydraulic issues which prevented him from progressing beyond the first qualifying session.