Australia: The Hits and Misses of the Editorial Team

The top 3:

The Scuderia Ferrari masked its weaknesses

Largely beaten by Hamilton in the qualifications on Saturday, the prancing horse responded on Sunday by putting its eggs in two different baskets, with Räikkönen and Vettel chasing the Silver Arrow at the front. A double success with the Finnish driver’s stop, which intimidated Hamilton while getting back out ahead of the two Haas cars.

Inevitably, the race circumstances allowed Vettel to make up his deficit in seconds. In this situation, the tactical move is not a stroke of genius, but simply common sense, which is already a great performance in itself. While Mercedes lost its second driver this weekend, the Scuderia appeared more cohesive by motivating their Kimi Räikkönen. By the way, the weekend for the Finnish driver would almost be a highlight on its own. After all, “Iceman” dominated Vettel on Friday and Saturday after Q3. But in the race, it was the four-time world champion who clinched the victory and the first driver of the day title awarded by Motors Inside readers. At this pace, the complementarity of the two Ferrari drivers could quickly be an asset in the race for the title.

Family portrait 🤝🏾 great team #ScuderiaFerrari #AusGP #Seb5 #Kimi7 pic.twitter.com/BPdrxliHDR— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 25

Hamilton, the cherry without the cake

The #44 is the moral winner of this first race of the season. His highlight of the weekend will remain his qualifying lap, confirming his stratospheric level on a flying lap. Fiesta mode or not at his back, putting six-tenths on the competition in the first Q3 of the season remains a big feat. The race began with this in mind with an authoritative start to the stint against the threatening Räikkönen.

Even surpassed by Vettel, he didn’t give up, dismissing his own engineer on the choice of strategy to adopt. The configuration of the circuit and the cars didn’t help him, but his series of fastest laps demonstrates his commitment. Outside the paddock, Hamilton is also incisive… The reigning champion’s hunger remains intact. All the better for the show!

Fernando Alonso, the eternal samurai

The double world champion combined Hamilton’s grit with Vettel’s opportunism. It’s a good move for a driver who also made his pit stop at the right time under the Virtual Safety Car. His resistance throughout the second half of the race against the big guns like Ricciardo or Bottas provides an ideal score for McLaren to start its association with Renault. The Asturian bull has lost none of his driving skill and his sharp radio messages, more explosive than ever. Tired or not, the Spaniard remains the leader of McLaren, also illustrating the progress of his team, which gained 1.8 seconds in qualifying compared to 2017. He also won the driver of the day award on the official Formula 1 account.

Holds off Verstappen, claims best finish since the 2016 US Grand Prix – reasons to be cheerful for @alo_oficial #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/EDX2ff2c4y

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 25 /f1/actualite/22579-australie-qualifications-supersonique-hamilton-.html

The flop 3:

Where has Valtteri Bottas gone?

Already dominated at the start of the weekend, the confidence of the Finnish driver evaporated at the worst possible moment: during the last lap of Q3. His violent crash did not go unnoticed. In the race, the former Williams driver took time to measure up against his current opponents: he had only overtaken Stroll and Ocon by the time the Virtual Safety Car appeared on lap 25. Although he finished eighth, this Australian weekend is a blot for Bottas, who openly talked about the title during pre-season testing. Oh dear…

Haas, the top that became a flop in two laps

The American team could have been part of this article as the top of the weekend. After their best collective performance in qualifying, Gene Haas’s men were on their way to some big points. Alas, the team was sabotaged during pit stops, with two poorly fastened wheels, leading to as many retirements. Frustrating! Especially since, for once, Kévin Magnussen matched Romain Grosjean. The Dane outqualified his teammate and made a remarkable start by passing Verstappen on the inside of the second turn. In its own way, the Haas F1 Team impressed the F1 Circus. However, it will be crucial to quickly capitalize on the effects of the partnership with Ferrari before Renault or McLaren shift into high gear. Nice touch, @RGrosjean 👏 #AusGP @HaasF1Team 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/kmgm5M8mht — Formula 1 (@F1) 25 March

The race direction: what a show!

The Australian episode once again highlights the limitations of the Virtual Safety Car system. The race experienced an unsuitable neutralization for three laps, which did not allow for the removal of Romain Grosjean’s poorly placed Haas. With marshals on the trackside, race management attempted to guide the car into the escape area right next to it. A tractor was needed to remove the car under the Safety Car regime. The result: wasted race time and, above all, a final result thrown into disarray amid great misunderstanding. As F1 seeks to renew its audience, it would be wise not to shoot itself in the foot with such artificial measures.

What are your tops and flops? Feel free to debate by leaving your opinion below, while respecting the rules, of course 😉