GPI 2017 Australian Grand Prx | Page 132

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.”