FERRARI WERE QUICKER
M
ercedes’ three-year domination of Formula One
looked on shaky ground 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’ titles 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 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 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 tough times ahead for a team that has raced itself
for three years.
“Some you win, some you lose and 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.”