Champ Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas is ecstatic after winning season-opening Australian GP; Ferrari's Vettel is fourth
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas with his trophy
Valtteri Bottas, controlled and unflappable, cruised to a dominant victory in yesterday's season-opening Australian GP, leading teammate Lewis Hamilton in a one-two for Mercedes.
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The Finn, starting alongside pole-sitter Hamilton in front, vaulted into the lead with a flawless start and was never challenged, crossing the line almost 21 seconds ahead of the reigning five-times world champ.
Hamilton was favourite
The Briton, favourite for victory after leading a front row lockout for Mercedes in qualifying yesterday, found himself on the back foot instead, defending against the charging Max Verstappen. The Dutchman claimed the final podium spot in third.
Valtteri Bottas drives his Mercedes during the Australian Grand Prix in
Sebastian Vettel was fourth, ahead of new Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who was instructed to hold position behind the German. The two scarlet cars finished nearly a full minute behind Bottas as the pre-season pace and promise of the Italian team, cautiously tipped as the favourites, inexplicably evaporated in the late afternoon autumn sunshine.
Yesterday's win was the fourth of Bottas' career and lifts him into the overall lead. It also hands the Finn a break as he failed to win a race last season while Hamilton swept 11. He leaves Melbourne with the maximum 26 points, having also claimed the extra point put for setting the fastest lap of the race. That puts him eight points clear of Hamilton, with 20 races to go. Verstappen is a further three points adrift in third.
"It was definitely my best race ever," said Bottas, shortly after stepping out of his car. "I don't know what happened. I felt so good and everything was under control. The car was so good today. So truly enjoyable. I need to enjoy today."
After conceding the lead to Bottas at the start, Hamilton never quite seemed to have the speed to challenge his teammate. His pace faded even further after he dived into the pits early to cover off the threat posed by the pursuing Vettel's own early tyre change. "I lost position at the start and my race was pretty much done and dusted after the first corner. I do have some ideas, but I'll wait until I sit with my engineers to go over it," said Hamilton initially, with Mercedes later discovering damage to his car's floor.
Verstappen's top-three finish handed Red Bull a podium in their first race with new engine partners Honda. The Japanese manufacturer has had a troubled run since it returned to the sport in 2015. "To start the season on the podium, challenging the Mercedes car ahead, I think that's a very positive start for us. Big thanks to Honda, also their first podium in the V6 era, so very happy for them," said Verstappen.
Ferrari off the pace
Ferrari had set the timing screens alight in pre-season testing but were simply off the pace around the Albert Park track. Thought to be 'sandbagging' or deliberately hiding their speed on Friday, their lack of performance became increasingly apparent as the weekend wore on. "Why are we so slow?" asked Vettel over the team radio at one stage of the race. "We don't know at the moment," came Ferrari's response.
Behind the top five, Kevin Magnussen took best-of-the-rest honours for Haas in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh for Renault ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in eighth on his Alfa Romeo debut. Lance Stroll finished ninth for Racing Point, formerly known as Force India, ahead of returning Russian Daniil Kvyat, who claimed the final point in 10th.
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