Formula 1 - 2017

[MIKA27]

Disappointed Daniel Ricciardo takes some comfort in Max Verstappen's pace

Daniel Ricciardo couldn't have endured a worse home race weekend if he tried, but insists he can take some positives from the race, namely team-mate Max Verstappen's relatively competitive pace.

Ricciardo crashed out of Q3, consigning him to 10th on the grid, which became 15th when he was handed a five-place grid penalty due to an unscheduled gearbox change.

However, Ricciardo encountered a sensor problem on his way to the grid and was unable to make the start, joining the action two laps down, before retiring mid-distance due to an unrelated fuel cell issue.

"It’s been a long week, don’t get me wrong, it's been fun but I feel bad for everyone, the fans, people supporting me," he said after retiring from the race.

"It all snowballed from yesterday, the five-place grid penalty sounded bad enough, then we had other issues. Just a long day, happy to move on, it’s okay, a bit disappointed today but i'll wake up tomorrow and be fine, ready to prepare and go for China."

Ricciardo was pleased to see team-mate Verstappen's strong race pace, which saw the Dutch driver finish six seconds adrift of Kimi Raikkonen, having run the second stint on the Super Softs, as opposed to the Softs favoured by the leading quartet.

"On the plus side im getting out of there. I was a few laps down, but we were getting some good information, which was something, still valuable track time.

"If I'm going to look on the bright side, Max seemed to be doing a reatively good pace and maybe we can learn something from his race and as a team move forward."

[MIKA27]

WOLF: FERRARI WAS THE QUICKER CAR

Mercedes’ three-year domination of Formula One looked on shaky ground on Sunday as the Silver Arrows’ confidence was rocked by Ferrari pace and a Sebastian Vettel victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Bookmakers had pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton as a heavy favourite to win at Albert Park but the Briton finished runner-up, nearly 10 seconds behind Vettel after complaining of poor grip on the lakeside circuit.

Hamilton’s frustrations were shared in the team garage where Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff pounded his fist on a desk in rage after Vettel snuck in front of the Briton when re-joining the race from a pit-stop.

The German then burned away for a dominant win that has raised hopes of a genuine challenge to the Mercedes team that has swept the drivers’ and constructors’ championships for the last three years running.

Three-times champion Hamilton had declared Ferrari the “quickest” after winter testing and his forecast of a title fight with the Italian glamour team appeared right on the mark.

“I don’t lie. And I’m not really good at bluffing or playing poker,” he said. “I didn’t know how quick they were going to be in the race. The pace they showed in testing was true and today their speed in that first stint on ultra soft tyres was fantastic.

“My real strength wasn’t until right at the end of the race but it was far too late by then.”

Wolff was also convinced Ferrari had the quicker car and saw testing times ahead for a team that has largely raced itself for three years.

“Some you win, some you lose and today the Ferrari was the quicker car. And it put us under pressure straight from the beginning, and that’s how we lost it,” said the Austrian.

“It’s going to be very close, there’s no big margins between the teams and also between our two team mates. It’s going to be a more stressful season than in the past but personality-building.”

Valtteri Bottas, who took champion Nico Rosberg’s vacant seat following the German’s shock retirement last season, was third on his Mercedes debut but the focused Finn was hardly jumping for joy.

“I struggled quite a lot with the ultra soft tyres, I felt I was sliding around, missing some front and rear grip,” he said at the post-race media conference. It wasn’t a disaster but I will have my points that I will take.

“I think it’s going to be a big challenge, we need to work really hard if we want to beat (Ferrari). They were quicker today, no doubt,” added the Finn.

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen blames understeer for poor Australian GP showing

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen says understeer in the opening stint was the reason behind his disappointing performance in the F1 2017 opener in Melbourne.

Raikkonen was largely a bystander in the Ferrari – Mercedes battle in the Australian Grand Prix, qualifying and finishing a distant fourth.

At the chequered flag, the Finn was 22 seconds adrift of his grand prix-winning teammate Sebastian Vettel – and he says that, for his race, the damage was done in the opening laps.

“I think already yesterday we suffered a bit with understeer on the car - and it was a similar story in the first set of tyres,” Raikkonen said after the Australian Grand Prix.

“Once we put the soft tyres, the car turned to be very good and I was very happy - but obviously at that point we were pretty much in nowhere land.

“I really think we understood yesterday already why we were lacking but it was too late.

  

“I think we know what we have to do and it should be okay.”

Raikkonen appeared to be under pressure from Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen late on in the race, the Dutchman gaining ground on fresher tyres – but the Ferrari driver insisted this was down to him saving fuel.

Overall, the Finn admitted the result was sub-optimal given Ferrari's strength - but said he could take optimism from what he learned during the weekend.

“It's a bit disappointing where I finished but we know what we have to do - and at least we finished. For a few years we hadn't finished the race and obviously that wasn't the ideal start. This is not 100 percent what we wanted but I'll take it.

“Even if it's disappointing, I'm pretty happy that we've understood a lot of things.

“I'm pretty confident that we'll be back where we should be in the next race. You know we have a strong package and we have some foundation now and understanding, so that's the main thing and we go from here.”

[MIKA27]

Verstappen surprised by Red Bull race pace

Max Verstappen says he was surprised that he was able to keep up with the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen in the Australian Grand Prix, after qualifying suggested that Red Bull would struggle to take the fight to the cars ahead.

Verstappen played a pivotal part in the race, as he was able to keep Lewis Hamilton behind him after the Mercedes driver pitted.

Later he closed in on Raikkonen, but the Dutchman was forced to back off in the closing laps as he suffered brake problems, with TV pictures showing clouds of carbon dust coming off the car.

Having closed to within 1.4s, he let the gap to go out to 6.4s by the flag.

"I think I can be pleased," said Verstappen. "I had Kimi in front of me the whole race, so at least we could follow one Ferrari, and I think the Mercedes was not that much in front as well.

  

"The pace was good. I was catching up to Kimi, but then the last few laps I had a little bit of brake issues, so I just backed off to make sure I finished the race.

"But I think in the race it was much more positive than qualifying. I was surprised.

"I could see straight away, in the first three laps you know if you can keep up, and it was actually not bad.

"Of course the first Ferrari and the first Mercedes, they pulled away a bit, because you have the dirty air from the cars. But pretty decent."

Verstappen played down his successful efforts at keeping Hamilton behind.

"It's really hard to follow. I was quite a bit faster at the end than Kimi, but as soon as you arrive, two seconds behind, that's it, you can't really get closer than that."

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso: McLaren would be last in normal conditions

In a sign of how far McLaren have fallen, a retirement for Fernando Alonso and a last-place finish for teammate Stoffel Vandoorne exceeded expectations for the embattled team at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Honda-powered cars had a dreary winter testing with slow times and an assortment of reliability problems, and the same problems played out through the race weekend in Melbourne for the Woking-based outfit.

But twice champion Fernando Alonso, who qualified 13th on Saturday, battled up to 10th and for a while was in contention to grab championship points at Albert Park.

It all came undone for the Spaniard, however, as his car halted with an apparent suspension problem only a few laps from the finish.

“A suspension failure I think at the end is what happened, and it stopped us finishing the race,” he said. “(The race) was pretty good, I think. I was driving one of my best races so far. We were surprisingly in the points all the race long.”

“Also we had to do a huge fuel saving which was hurting us a lot but we were able to keep the position. As I said, a little surprised to be so (high) up but at the end we didn’t finish and definitely we need to be more competitive very soon.”

Alonso’s rookie teammate Vandoorne was last of the 13 cars that finished, having been lapped twice by Ferrari winner Sebastian Vettel.

That the Belgian was able to crawl over the line might have been cause for a small celebration for McLaren, whose relationship with Honda has become increasingly strained by continuing struggles.

Alonso had little doubt where McLaren lay in the Formula One pecking order, even next to other battling teams like Haas and Sauber.

“I think we are last,” Alonso said. “That’s the performance we have now. We were 10th (today) because the qualifying lap we had yesterday was extremely good.

“The start, I was lucky to gain one position and the (Romain) Grosjean retirement gave us the second one. I think in normal conditions in the normal circuit we should be last.”

[MIKA27]

Sauber can't understand why Magnussen wasn't penalised

Sauber Formula 1 team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says she does not understand why Kevin Magnussen was not penalised for the collision that ruined Marcus Ericsson's Australian Grand Prix.

Magnussen attempted to pass Ericsson up the inside of the Turn 3 right-hander on the opening lap, with his front-left wheel hitting the rear of the Sauber's sidepod after the Haas driver clipped the kerb and ran deeper into the corner than anticipated.

Ericsson spun into the gravel and, although he got going again, he had suffered damage and eventually retired with a hydraulic failure related to the impact, while Magnussen later retired with a suspected suspension problem.

The FIA changed its regulations this year to penalise drivers only when they were "wholly or predominantly to blame", and Kaltenborn believes this was clearly Magnussen's fault.

"I don't understand why the FIA didn't react there," Kaltenborn told Motorsport.com.

"They have clarified the rules that if it really is a driver's fault they take action, and I don't know what else needs to take place because the situation was very clear."

  

Kaltenborn suggested that the basis of the decision might lead to it being discussed at the next race in China, but insisted the fact the collision was on the opening lap did not excuse it.

"I think, yeah, it might be at the next manager's meeting or whatever they have," said Kaltenborn when asked about whether this might lead to a clarification.

"It shouldn't [make a difference that this was on the first lap], so I don't even want to consider that. There is no such differentiation that takes place, so it shouldn't make any difference."

Magnussen blamed the moment of understeer that resulted from the rear-end moment for the collision.

But despite neither he nor teammate Romain Grosjean finishing, the latter due to a water leak, Magnussen was upbeat about the performance of Haas.

"I had Ericsson on the outside and I understeered into the side of him, which is unfortunate," said Magnussen. "I lost my front wing and damaged the car a little bit.

"We changed the front wing and then I went for a long test session to feel the car and learn a bit more about it. It feels good and the car is fast. That's the really positive thing from this weekend."

[MIKA27]

Giovinazzi admits he was too conservative on F1 debut

Sauber Formula 1 debutant Antonio Giovinazzi says a lack of experience with low-degradation tyres led to him taking it unnecessarily easy during the second stint of the Australian GP.

Having been thrown in the deep end when Pascal Wehrlein declared himself not fit enough to race on Saturday morning, the Italian put in a 'super-sub' performance across Saturday and Sunday.

He only narrowly missed out on a Q2 berth, and finished his debut race in a solid 12th spot, completing the full race distance.

But the GP2 runner-up did admit to being a little too conservative during the race on Sunday.

Giovinazzi explained that his experience on the high-deg GP2 tyres led to him 'taking it easy' during his 40-lap stint to the finish on the supersofts for fear of needing to make a second stop, especially after being compromised with a flat spot during the first stint on the soft.

"I would say the GP2 car is quite different with the deg in the tyres, it's a little bit worse than F1," he said.

"For this I was taking it easier in the beginning of the run, because in GP2 with supersoft it was possible to only do seven or eight laps and then you need to box.

"I was supposed to do half the race [in the second stint], so I thought I'd take it easy because I didn't want to take another pitstop.

  

"I took it really easy, just to understand the tyres and understand the car. This was the target for me, just to understand the car more and have the experience from the tyres and the car."

The Ferrari reserve driver also admitted that he was a little disappointed to fall just two spots short of scoring a point on debut, but said it was a good feeling to be the best rookie at the finish despite having had so little time to prepare.

"Yesterday I was just two tenths from Q2, and today just two positions to the points," he said.

"To be on top of the rookie drivers, with the preparation I had before – nothing – I think was a pretty good weekend."

[MIKA27]

STROLL: WE MANAGED TO HAVE A SURPRISINGLY GOOD RACE

Lance Stroll almost got to experience the full package on his first weekend in Formula One, hitting speeds exceeding 320 kph, clipping a wall, being handed a grid penalty and skidding through the gravel.

All that was missing was the finish.

The 18-year-old Canadian didn’t make it to the finish in his debut for Williams at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, retiring after an eventful 40 laps around the Albert Park circuit.

“We were running a decent race and the pace was pretty good,” Stroll said. “I had a good start, which was risky although I didn’t plan on it being quite so risky! Some guys braked quite early in front of me and I managed to gain some places.

“Then we managed to have a surprisingly good race. It was my first race, and first weekend, so there are a few positives to take out of it.”

Stroll graduated from development driver to a seat in F1 this season for Williams, which lost Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes.

The son of billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll is mentored by former Ferrari sporting director Luca Baldisserri and won the Formula 3 European championship in 2016.

His first taste of the top level was one he put down to experience, having started at the back of the grid after getting a penalty for needing an unscheduled gearbox change following his crash in practice on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, that incident yesterday cost us a lot of positions in qualifying,” said Stroll, whose top speed was among the fastest in the race, “but today I enjoyed myself and so a big thank you to the team.”

His Williams teammate, 35-year-old Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa, finished sixth to earn some points from the opening weekend.

Stroll avoided a collision with two other drivers on the opening lap and, after an early pit stop for tires, was running as high as 13th before a problem with his front left break ended his race.

“It’s a shame for Lance, who put in a good first drive with some overtakes in his first race in Formula One, so it is a shame that he then had to retire with a brake failure,” Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe said.

“Clearly that’s an issue we need to get on top for the races to come and make sure we don’t have a repeat. But, overall, congratulations to the team … who have built a great car to launch our 2017 campaign,” added the Williams team’s new boss.

[MIKA27]

Sun: Williams, Force India, Toro Rosso

Lance Stroll: Today we were running a decent race and the pace was pretty good. I had a good start, which was risky although I didn’t plan on it being quite so risky! Some guys braked quite early in front of me and I managed to gain some places, but then I had a flat spot so had to stop early and, strategy-wise, we changed to a two-stop. Then we managed to have a surprisingly good race. It was my first race, and first weekend, so there are a few positives to take out of it. We had what I believe was a brake disc failure. I just hit the pedal, it went long and I was lucky it was in a place where there was a lot of run-off. Unfortunately, that incident yesterday cost us a lot of positions in qualifying, but today I enjoyed myself and so a big thank you to the team.

Force India

Sergio Perez: “I am very pleased with the result and I don’t believe there is anything we could have done better today. Seventh place was the most we could achieve and the team had to make all the right calls to get this result. We had the correct strategy and we managed the tyres well to bring the points home. We still had to pull a few big moves on Kvyat and Sainz, even though it was not easy to overtake, but once I was in clean air I felt I was in a very strong position. Driving these cars is so much fun: you can push a lot harder than in the past and I was doing my fastest laps towards the end of the race. We know we still need to improve this car and there is more performance to come, but this is a positive start to our season and we can be happy this evening.”

Esteban Ocon: “Scoring my first point in Melbourne is a very nice reward after what has been quite a tough weekend. I spent almost the entire race fighting against Fernando [Alonso] because we were side-by-side for the first lap of the race. He was able to stay ahead and I had to chase him for the rest of the afternoon. It was a hard fight because Fernando is a tough opponent and it was so difficult to get close and overtake. Eventually I found a gap in the last few laps and took my chance going into turn one. It was a big moment for my race and took me into the points. I’m happy with the result and I feel I’ve learned a huge amount from my first race weekend with this team. I hope this is the first point of many this season.”

Toro Rosso

Carlos Sainz Jr: "A tricky race! Obviously, with this new generation of cars, we didn't know really what to expect, but to finish P8 is a decent result I'm happy with. It's a shame that soon after the pit-stop we lost the position to Perez. I struggled after having to let Daniil and the two Mercedes by, as my tyre temperatures dropped down a bit and it took me some time to get back into rhythm. Towards the end of the race I was coming fast, catching the Force India, and I got quite close to overtaking him – if only there had been a few more laps, I could've given it a try. This race weekend was definitely a confidence boost for the whole team – to get both cars into Q3 yesterday and end with a double-points finish today is a really good start and now we need to make sure we keep on going like this."

Daniil Kvyat: "What a good race! It was just a shame that we had to make an extra stop during the final laps, as we had to fill my car with air again… If it hadn't been for that, P7 was definitely on the table and we were fighting for it well! The team has done a fantastic job all weekend and I'm very glad about that – congratulations and thank you everyone! We now need to keep pushing and fighting for more points like today. Physically speaking, it wasn't an easy race but I felt good the whole time – I need to thank my trainer for that, we worked very well throughout the whole winter! All in all, a good way to start the season, showing strong pace and with both cars in the points; now we can start to prepare for China and we can all be pleased with ourselves."

[MIKA27]

Sun: Renault, Sauber, McLaren, Haas

Fernando Alonso was running in the top 10 before being forced to retire, while there was a double DNF for Haas.

Renault

Nico Hulkenberg: “The conclusion from my first race with the team is that we are firmly in the midfield and we’re looking forward to continuing to improve. My first lap wasn’t great as I tried to get Kvyat on the outside of turn 13 but he squeezed me wide and I lost a position to Alonso. There was not much I could do about him, even though I was lot faster as I just couldn’t overtake. I had a very positive last stint on the ultrasoft tyres with the car getting better and better, although it wasn’t quite enough to gain another position. My battle with Ocon and Alonso was a lot of fun, I had massive double tow from them, so I gave it all with overtake mode and DRS. It was quite spectacular and must have looked pretty good from the outside too.”

Jolyon Palmer: “My race was going well. I made places at the start despite being on the hardest tyre, my pace was pretty reasonable and I could see Nico and Esteban ahead of me. Unfortunately, my brakes stuck on at turn 14. We hoped it was just a glitch, but it happened again so we had no alternative other than to retire. It’s not been the start I wanted to my season, so we’ll put it down to experience and look forward to China.”

Sauber

Antonio Giovinazzi: “A very disappointing race for me. I did not have a good start, but then I was fighting hard in the first couple of corners on lap one. Unfortunately, in turn 3 I got hit from behind, which caused lots of damage on the right side as well as to the floor of the car. From that moment on, it was all about finishing the race. Later on, I had to stop the car on track due to a hydraulic failure caused by the incident on lap one.”

Marcus Ericsson: “A very disappointing race for me. I did not have a good start, but then I was fighting hard in the first couple of corners on lap one. Unfortunately, in turn 3 I got hit from behind, which caused lots of damage on the right side as well as to the floor of the car. From that moment on, it was all about finishing the race. Later on, I had to stop the car on track due to a hydraulic failure caused by the incident on lap one.”

McLaren

Stoffel Vandoorne: “I had a very tricky race. At my pit-stop, I had to perform a full power-cycle of the car to reset it, which cost me time and position, and I also lost the dashboard readout for a while. Throughout the race, I was very busy on the steering wheel, making a lot of changes to the car’s settings while trying to bring the car home. Nevertheless, after the tests in Barcelona, we didn’t really expect to finish the race, so this is a little bit of a milestone today. We definitely don’t have enough pace to compete with the cars ahead of us, so we need an extra big push for China, in a fortnight’s time. We’ve had decent mileage all weekend; Fernando showed well in qualifying; and we finished the race, so there are positives to take away from this first weekend of the season. I think I probably deserve a slice of birthday cake this evening!”

Fernando Alonso: “In terms of driving, I probably had one of my very best races today. I was able to drive the car at my maximum; I felt confident, and I enjoyed driving the car throughout the race – I was able to push. With such little degradation from this year’s tyres, it’s enjoyable to be in the cockpit again. However, that enjoyment is less for us, because we are not fighting at the front. Our car is obviously not very competitive at the moment, so being able to keep the car in the points was a little surprising. At the end of the race, I had a problem that prevented me from finishing the race. It’s disappointing to see we’re not ready to fight at the front – we need to quickly make some further improvements.”

Haas:

Kevin Magnussen: “I had contact at turn three. I had Ericsson on the outside and I understeered into the side of him, which was unfortunate. I lost my front wing and damaged the car a little bit. We changed the front wing and then I went for a long test session to feel the car and learn a bit more about it, which was good. It feels good and the car is fast. That’s the really positive thing from this weekend. The car is there. We just have to make it finish and score points.”

Romain Grosjean:“I suddenly lost a lot of power. I told the guys, then the next thing I knew I had to slow down the car. It’s a pretty disappointing result, but again, right now I’m hot and we’re all disappointed to lose a seventh-place position, but the car was there in qualifying in P6. The start wasn’t ideal, so we need to improve that. I felt I was faster than the Williams, so there’s huge potential in the car. I guess the key for us is to keep the momentum and get the consistency we didn’t have last year, where I’d be fifth in Bahrain then 19th in China. I really want to improve on that and get more consistency in terms of results. If we do that, then I’m sure there are going to be plenty of races where we can score good points. I’m feeling it right now, but tomorrow I’m going to wake up thinking, you know what, we’ve got a great car, so no matter what, we’re going to be there this year.”

[skalls]

I feel gutted for Ricardo and Grosjean.  Terrible luck for Ricardo crashing in Q3, and then basically no luck with a broken car during the race.  Romain was likely going to end 6-8 and in the points but then the PU gave up the ghost.

Good race but still didn't see much overtaking, but I do like the new cars.  I am coming around to the shark fins, though they need to be done like Haas and the Merc ones since the rest are kinda eyesores.

[Schumi5]

Wonderful first race of the season, I am obviously biased, however wonderful to see the prancing horse return to the top of the podium.  Cars look awesome this year and hope we are in for a great year.  Forza Ferrari and Bravissimo Seb!

[MIKA27]

I'm a Mercedes fan first and foremost but I greedily still have soft spots for several other teams like Williams, Sauber, Force India and HAAS.

Was gunning for Dan Ricciardo also of course being an Aussie - Super gutted for him.

Saying this, I am stoked to see Ferrari win, to mix it up from the first race and whilst overtaking was minimal, I still enjoyed the race weekend.

Unsure about TV coverage and will download the race and watch it later this evening but on track, it was an awesome sight, the cars sure sound much better IMO.

[MIKA27]

Gallery 2017 Australia | Sunday

[MIKA27]

Arrivabene disappointed not to get both Ferraris on podium

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene admitted his delight at their first victory for over a year was tempered by the fact only one of their cars reached the podium.

Sebastian Vettel won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Kimi Raikkonen came home fourth in the other Ferrari.

Arrivabene said it was “a good result that could have been a great one if we’d managed to get Kimi on the podium too.”
Vettel “did a great job, as did the whole team in fact” said Arrivabene. “It’s a shame that Kimi struggled in the early stages to get into the right rhythm.”

“When we launched the SF70H we referred to it as ‘our Ferrari’ and indeed today’s win reflects all the effort and hard work put in over the past few months, both in Maranello and at the track,” he added.

Mattia Binotto, who took over as the team’s technical director last season, said the win was down to how well the car looked after its tyres.

“The GP was all decided at the pit stops,” he said. “At that moment, we probably had less tyre degradation than our rivals towards the end of the stint and that meant we were able to stay out on track for longer.”

“From then on, it was a case of bringing home the car in terms of reliability.”

“Seb did an excellent job, while Kimi definitely had a more complicated race, partly because he started from a bit further back on the grid. However, he managed to hold onto this position to the finish and his lap times in the final part of the race showed what he was capable of.”

[RDean]

Anyone going to Montreal in June, shoot me a PM if you'd like to meet up and smoke one or two together. Always up for meeting with other BOTL's

[RDean]

16 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

I'm a Mercedes fan first and foremost but I greedily still have soft spots for several other teams like Williams, Sauber, Force India and HAAS.

Was gunning for Dan Ricciardo also of course being an Aussie - Super gutted for him.

Saying this, I am stoked to see Ferrari win, to mix it up from the first race and whilst overtaking was minimal, I still enjoyed the race weekend.

Unsure about TV coverage and will download the race and watch it later this evening but on track, it was an awesome sight, the cars sure sound much better IMO.

The sound on the TV did not really change from last year. Still too quiet.

[MIKA27]

7 hours ago, RDean said:

The sound on the TV did not really change from last year. Still too quiet.

I agree on TV or even video as I filmed a bit on my iphone while at the track, does no justice, but in person they sound much better compared to the previous 3 years.

Of course, one can only wish they sounded like the F1's of old (Not that long ago), unfortunately I think they will never go back to that and rather sound like a Dyson.

[MIKA27]

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel saw off the challenge from Lewis Hamilton to win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Vettel’s victory at the Albert Park curtain-raiser underlined his and the Italian team’s title credentials for the new Formula One campaign.

Here, we dissect five key talking points from the opening round of the season.

1. Ferrari really are the real deal

Formula One has become so accustomed to watching a Mercedes car win that the predictability of their dominance has become a turn off for many fans. So to see Ferrari not just match Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes but beat them, too, is precisely what this new era required. Of course this is only one race, and it is worth noting that Vettel should have won here last year but for a dodgy strategy call. But the resurgence of the Prancing Horse should hopefully provide us with the ingredients for a scintillating season.

2. New year. Same old McLaren

While Ferrari are back on top of their game, the same cannot be said for another of Formula One’s finest constructors. Fernando Alonso and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne failed to finish in Melbourne, and while the former was on course for a miraculous point before his suspension packed up in the closing stages, he believes the once-mighty McLaren are currently the worst team. “I was driving one of my best races,” Alonso, the double world champion, said. “But we are last in terms of performance. We couldn’t finish. We need to be more competitive soon.” Ouch.

3. Weekend to forget for Palmer, Magnussen and Ericsson

Jolyon Palmer headed into his second season full of hope, but the 26-year-old from Horsham endured one of the worst weekends of his short career. Palmer crashed in practice before qualifying last – an eye-watering 3.3 seconds adrift of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in the same Renault machinery – and then failed to finish the race. Palmer rose to 14th but a brake issue forced him to call it quits on lap 18. Palmer will be in need of a quick-fix before the next race in China a week on Sunday.

On the opening lap of the race, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen clattered into the rear of Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber. The pair spun onto the sand, bits flying off both cars before they returned to the pits for repairs. They rejoined the race but the incident compromised them. They both retired before the end of the race. Magnussen, in particular will be aggrieved, as his performance was below par and well off his teammate Romain Grosjean throughout the weekend.

4. Home is not where the heart is

Daniel Ricciardo completed a mammoth 18 hours of media commitments in just one day last week, such is Australia’s love for their home hero. But Ricciardo’s weekend never got going here. He made an uncharacteristic error in qualifying after crashing out and then stopped en route to taking up his position on the grid. Red Bull managed to get him in the race – albeit two laps down – but he retired with a mechanical issue.

5. Is the new Formula One an improvement?

The race on Sunday was the first following significant changes to the regulations, and since American giants Liberty Media acquired the sport. F1’s new chairman Chase Carey and Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches – the sporting and commercial executives – were all present in Melbourne, and while they will be pleased that a Mercedes car did not win, the show itself was hardly a thrill-a-minute spectacle. It is suspected that the extra downforce on the new cars and increased air flow makes it harder to follow and harder to overtake. Indeed there were few overtakes of genuine note on Sunday, but it has always been hard to pass around the narrow Albert Park circuit. The Litmus test will come at the next round in China where there were a record number of overtakes last year.

[MIKA27]

ALLISON: WE JUST WEREN’T QUITE GOOD ENOUGH

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes are vowing to come back hard in China after being ambushed by resurgent Ferrari in the Formula One season-opener in Australia.

The German outfit, who have ruled the sport for the last three years, got a rude awakening in the first race of the new season when Sebastian Vettel beat Hamilton by almost 10 seconds in Melbourne on Sunday.

Vettel’s triumph has overturned early-season expectations and raised the prospect of a Ferrari-Mercedes battle for the world title over the remaining 19 races.

All eyes will now be on the next grand prix in Shanghai on April 9 to see if Ferrari can repeat their improved performance through Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

“If it wasn’t already clear after qualifying, then it’s certainly clear now that this is going to be a season of very small margins,” former Ferrari and recently appointed Mercedes technical director James Allison said.

“Credit to Ferrari, they had a very quick car and we just weren’t quite good enough to stick with them. We won’t panic, though.”

“It’s race one of a long season and we scored some very good points with both cars in Melbourne. We’ll be determined to come back stronger in China and make sure those small margins go our way next time.”

While Vettel’s first win for Ferrari since Singapore in 2015, and his 43rd victory overall, has supercharged the season, he said there was still a lot of work to do.

“This is one of many steps and we have to enjoy what we do. It’s great to see people smiling,” said Vettel. “Now we have to reset to go to China and try to do a good job.”

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne said the team returning to the top of the podium was long overdue, with the victory meaning a non-Mercedes driver leads the championship for the first time since 2013.

“It was about time,” Marchionne said. “We’ve been waiting for this victory for almost a year-and-a-half. Hearing the Italian national anthem again was very moving.

“Sebastian delivered a great race and I am sure Kimi will be soon up there battling alongside his team-mate.”

But like Vettel, Marchionne is not getting carried away at the start of a globe-trotting season which will wrap up in Abu Dhabi in November.

“It is absolutely essential to remember that this is not the destination but the first step on a long road that must see us all focused on improving each and every day,” he said.

 

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: MY HUNGER TO WIN THE TITLE HAS FRICKIN’ DOUBLED

A determined Lewis Hamilton has said he wants to win the world title more than ever before, and claimed his hunger has doubled this season as he prepares for a battle royale with Sebastian Vettel.

The Mercedes driver is on the back foot in the early knockings after he failed to match Vettel and his resurgent Ferrari team in Australia as the Prancing Horse delivered on their pre-season potential to take the chequered flag on Sunday.

It means three-time world champion Hamilton is facing a new challenge this year following both Ferrari’s return to form, and the departure of his long-running rival and former childhood friend Nico Rosberg, who headed for retirement after winning last year’s title.

But the 32-year-old Briton appears to be revelling in both dynamics – the tension-free atmosphere at Mercedes following the arrival of Valtteri Bottas, and the task of what he described as the “best versus the best” in reference to his title showdown with Vettel.

It is not a tag line Hamilton would have used for the past three seasons in which his sole competitor was Rosberg, the reigning champion who watched events from Melbourne unfold at home in Monte Carlo.

“I had a fantastic fight the last few years and obviously last year was the closest that I had,” Hamilton, who lost out on the title to Rosberg despite winning a greater number of grands prix than his Mercedes team-mate, said.

“But I want to win the world championship more than ever before, and while you would think that the hunger could not be any more it has frickin doubled.”

“I am going home after this – usually I stay out in Asia and train in the hot weather – but I will get my head down, rest and make sure I come back fighting for the next race in China. I believe I can win and I want to win for the team and the fans.”

Hamilton’s showbiz lifestyle and interests outside of the sport have naturally led to question marks over his focus, drive and long-term commitment to Formula One.

The Englishman is now in his 11th season in the sport and he has repeatedly said he will not outstay his welcome.

But Hamilton, who boarded a flight back from Melbourne in the hours after Sunday’s curtain-raiser – with his residence in Monte Carlo the apparent next stop – insists his motivation is at an all-time high.

“My discipline has definitely gone up in terms of my training and how specific I am with my diet, sleep, and all of these different things,” Hamilton added.

“Every year you try to improve but I would say I have taken a good step this year. For example, I trained myself this year.

“That was a challenge I set myself. Can you have the motivation to do it yourself and get yourself ready and turn up? I have and I am going to continue to work because there is going to be some really tough races this year.”

[RDean]

7 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

I agree on TV or even video as I filmed a bit on my iphone while at the track, does no justice, but in person they sound much better compared to the previous 3 years.

Of course, one can only wish they sounded like the F1's of old (Not that long ago), unfortunately I think they will never go back to that and rather sound like a Dyson.

I will get a live comparison in June. Me and the wife go to Montreal every year. One of these years we want to make to that side of the world and get some races in.

 

[MIKA27]

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX: SLIDESHOW 

 

[MIKA27]

Better result was possible without extra pitstop - Daniil Kvyat

Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat believes a better result was possible at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix after an unscheduled pitstop late on.

The Russian driver lined up ninth on the grid but lost a spot to Sergio Perez on lap one, before gaining positions and running as high as sixth with an alternative strategy.

He ran a long first stint on the ultra-softs before switching to super-softs, but an extra stop to top his car up with air for a second time cost him a place to his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.

Kvyat had his sights set on Perez in seventh at the time of his unscheduled second trip to the pits and while he was pleased with the race result, he felt more was achievable.

“What a good race,” he said. “It was just a shame that we had to make an extra stop during the final laps, as we had to fill my car with air again.

“If it hadn’t been for that, P7 was definitely on the table and we were fighting for it well. The team has done a fantastic job all weekend and I’m very glad about that – congratulations and thank you everyone.

“We now need to keep pushing and fighting for more points like today. Physically speaking, it wasn’t an easy race but I felt good the whole time.

“All in all, a good way to start the season, showing strong pace and with both cars in the points; now we can start to prepare for China and we can all be pleased with ourselves.”

[MIKA27]

Australian GP Tech Bites: Mercedes and Red Bull

Mercedes stated early in the weekend that pre-season testing hadn’t gone exactly to plan, despite clocking the most laps and showing signs of having the fastest car. 

Some of the aerodynamic upgrades hadn’t performed as expected and the team also had to remove some of the complex suspension elements to comply with the FIA’s directive on aero-influencing systems. 

As a result, a post-Singapore-2015-style analysis was launched to uncover the performance that was locked within the W08, which showed immediately after Friday practice as Lewis Hamilton described the car as a “night and day” improvement. 

Most of the progress the team made between testing and the race was down to set up but a few detailed changes to the front-wing, sidepods and cooling layout have also helped. 

The W08 also donned a revised T-wing, which now features three winglet surfaces – two large winglets that conjoin at the tips and a third smaller element on top. 

The combination of winglets and their updated geometry will alter the path of the airflow ahead of the rear-wing, extracting more downforce from the rear-end. 

Red Bull

Wheel design has had a steadily increasing amount of attention as they do much more than provide a seat for the tyres. 

Red Bull has been making some effort to conceal their wheel design during the testing period and even into the grand prix weekend by installing transportation wheels when shuttling the car from the garage to scrutineering. 

At the front you will find the open axle face that air is blown through via the brake duct to assist the front-wing, but the rears are particularly interesting. 

The rim tapers outwards towards the open face with a multitude of grooves cut into the surface to dissipate turbulence building up within the deep dish, which is even deeper as a consequence of the wider rear-tyres.

Further revisions were evident on the RB13 after a low-key winter, although it is surprising to see the car lack the complexity and creativity of its rivals in Mercedes and Ferrari. 

The two bargeboards that straddle the chassis are stepped along the top rather than a continuous downward slope, with the footplate of the leading baffle slotted and lipped to encourage airflow underneath.

This was accompanied by changes to the vertical vane that is mounted to the sidepod shoulder, which is now joined by a large horizontal piece of carbon fibre to the chassis by the cockpit to induce downwash across the bodywork downstream.