Another blow for Red Bull!
It is safe to say that was the best Australian Grand Prix for quite some time, there will probably be people who say it was a terrible race, just because there wasn’t a battle for the win, but if that happens every race, it ruins the excitement around it. The track changes have worked a treat, overtaking wasn’t easy, but we don’t want it to be, as otherwise we won’t get proper battles over many laps. I think some more slight alterations can be made, either to the track or the cars, but it was 90% there!
The mixed weekend for Ferrari continued, with a win and a DNF! Leclerc was unmatched in the race. After the first Safety Car restart, Verstappen dropped back, never to truly challenge again, apart from when Charles understeered on the second restart. Despite the horrendous porpoising, which we thought might hurt them, the car seemingly produced no tyre wear, which meant he could be consistent, as others dropped off. Leclerc is the clear favourite for the title now, although we can’t count out Mercedes yet! Sainz had an atrocious weekend, a lot of which was not his own fault. The problem though, is that given his lack of pace compared to Charles so far this year, it is clear that when Carlos had a chance to make a difference this weekend, such as on that lap in Q3, or after his clutch issue off the start, he went too far, and it cost him both times. He expected to be fighting with Leclerc all season, and he is struggling to come to terms with what is happening in terms of pace difference, he needs to reset soon, to save his season!
Red Bull are putting a brave face on a truly disastrous turn of events. Max has lost over 30 points in just 3 races due to reliability, and looking at their issues as well as AlphaTauri’s, it doesn’t look like it could end very soon. It didn’t change the outcome of the win, as tyre wear meant Verstappen couldn’t keep up with the Ferrari, but this did look on paper to be a Ferrari track. If they can fix the issues, they have a shot at the title, but it is getting slimer as time goes on, especially with Mercedes looming. Perez once again did what he needed to do for the team, with great pace which allowed him to clear the Mercedes, and give the team some much needed points.
Its funny to say that two podiums and no wins from 3 races is a perfect start for Mercedes, but it really is. With the 3rd fastest car at best under them, they have managed to be 2nd in the constructors and in the driver’s championship. Part of that is down to luck, yet their two drivers are executing at the top level right now, and if their season does turn around soon, they will be a threat. Russell got lucky with the Safety Car; however, it was a great drive by him, and it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it. It was an excellent start from Hamilton, although he couldn’t hold off Perez, and did come under pressure from George at points, but overall, he had the pace for 3rd .
This weekend has proven that McLaren do have a fast car, one which is possibly 4th best, and that brake overheating was what was holding them back. On the good side, it means they should hopefully have another pretty good season, although there will still be a question mark over those races where braking is a huge factor, such as Monza. They could pressure Mercedes in the early parts of the race, but tyre wear and true pace left them in no man’s land by the end. It was also good to see Ricciardo do well at home again, after a tough few years for him.
Who knows that Alonso could have done if he hadn’t of had the issue in qualifying? In all honesty, he probably couldn’t have beaten the top 3 teams I think, but McLaren may well have been within his reach. The decision to start on hard’s looked great until the second Safety Car, which ruined his strategy, and put him right back in the pack after he pitted. From there he blistered his tyres in traffic, and didn’t get points. Ocon was able to though, and was another driver with a quiet race, he just needs to be matching the potential which Alonso is showing.
Bottas and Gasly had better races than qualifying, although they were helped by the downfall of others. Those two teams do look to be on the outside of the points on raw pace. Zhou nearly got points, and is continuing to do all the right things in F1 at the moment. It was a huge day for Williams, and a masterful strategy by leaving Albon out on hard’s for basically the whole race, as his pace got better and better on that tyre. Due to the battling behind, he was able to just make a pit stop gap on Zhou at the end of the race, to get a point for the team.
It was another saga in what has been a disaster season so far for Aston Martin, as they lack both reliability and pace. That being said, Stroll did nearly make the points, but it did involve being a rolling roadblock. Vettel in his first weekend had almost no running, so it is no surprise he crashed in the race trying to push. Haas apparently just got lost on set up this weekend, and to be fair, it wasn’t like they were a million miles away either.
From here, we head to the first European race of the year, which could mean upgrades for many teams. There are also a lot of teams low on parts, so this could be a crucial reset for them. Imola is a tight, twisty track, so it is going to take a lot for another team to beat the unstoppable force of Ferrari right now!
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 