Australia: The Hits and Misses from the Editorial Team

Valtteri Bottas 2.0

Transfigured. The adjective perfectly sums up the metamorphosis of the first winner of the year. Gone is the timid 2018 season, without a victory, overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton’s dominating presence. Now there’s a driver rejuvenated by the winter, more incisive, both on the track and in his communication, as evidenced by his radio message after his victory (“To whom it may concern… go f**k yourselves!”) or his refusal to slow down to claim the fastest lap point.

Holder for a moment of the pole on Saturday, Valtteri Bottas executed a flawless start on Sunday, and most importantly, gave Lewis Hamilton no chance thereafter. Now, of course, we know that the reigning world champion raced a good part of the race with a damaged floor. Nonetheless, the Finn had already done the work at the start of the meeting, keeping the #44 Mercedes beyond a second gap. A gap that still amounted to 21 seconds at the finish.

Yes, this fourth victory is the most beautiful of Valtteri Bottas’ career. There was some 2016 Nico Rosberg in this success. A performance worthy of a future world champion? Let’s wait for the rest of the season to confirm this hypothesis…

📊 STAT

During each double achieved in Melbourne, the winning driver and team have become world champions at the end of the year.

Valtteri Bottas drivers’ champion and Mercedes constructors’ champion?#F1 #AusGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/aHclq8sRGh

— Secteur F1 🏎🇫🇷 (@Secteur_F1) March 17 /f1/actualite/23177-australie-course-bottas-taille-patron-.html

Max Verstappen, the age of reason?

If we talk about a revolution for the first mentioned driver, the winter of the second driver in this report did not hinder his momentum. Already having a great end to the 2018 season, with 5 podiums in the last 5 races, Max Verstappen started with an impressive third place. The Dutchman did the job and led his team alone, while Pierre Gasly remained stuck in the pack. A full weekend for the youngest Grand Prix winner, who had beaten Leclerc’s Ferrari fair and square during qualifying.

His race was very clever, with an appropriate tire strategy and especially a clinical overtake on lap 31 against Vettel’s Ferrari. Verstappen, in passing, delivers Honda’s first podium since its return to Formula 1 at the beginning of 2015. This top position is also for the Japanese engine manufacturer, already well adapted to the RB15, which has made people forget the Renault block. Who said you couldn’t succeed with a Honda engine at the back? Hello McLaren?

Lance Stroll, the beautiful comeback

The Canadian maximized his strategy to secure the two points for ninth place. However, nothing suggested such a result before the Grand Prix. Lance Stroll had halted his qualifications in Q1, in 16th position, on merit. But the new Racing Point driver showcased a quality he possesses: his start, having gained three positions after the first lap, placing him behind his teammate, Sergio Pérez. On a car marked by numerous developments since Barcelona, the owner’s son then took advantage of Giovinazzi to gain positions, as the Italian from Alfa Romeo delayed many of his opponents.

Pit stop at the 27th lap for his break, Stroll put on hard tires and came out 10th. He then went for ninth place on the track, pushing Daniil Kvyat to make a mistake, with the Russian going through the grass on the 36th lap. It is indeed him and not Pérez who brings the first points for Racing Point in the Grand Prix. A great way to justify his arrival in place of a certain Esteban Ocon.

RACING 👀 😍 @LandoNorris @Anto_Giovinazzi#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/5qRRrypmTO

— Formula 1 (@F1) 17 mars /f1/actualite/23177-australie-course-bottas-taille-patron-.html

Scuderia Ferrari significantly below expectations

Winter’s reference is questioned. Leading in pre-season testing, the Italian team did not keep pace with Mercedes, on both Saturday and Sunday. Seven-tenths off pole position, Sebastian Vettel did not chase victory, unlike in 2017 and 2018. This year in Australia, the red car was never ahead of the grey car, from the start of FP1 to the finish of the Grand Prix. It was even an embarrassment: the four-time world champion finished the race in 4th place, 57 seconds behind Valtteri Bottas. If the German’s tire strategy failed, with an overly ambitious first stop, the pace of car #5 was almost unworthy of a title contender. Especially since Vettel had little explanation for his lack of speed, apart from a lack of grip.

Cerise sur le gâteau, le pitboard Ferrari s’est aussi fait remarquer avec une consigne donnée à Charles Leclerc, revenu sur les talons de Vettel en fin de course. Le Monégasque avait le potentiel pour passer, mais après un quasi-contact dans le premier virage du premier tour, Mattia Binotto n’a pas voulu prendre de risques: 22 points, c’est tout de même mieux que rien. L’ancien pilote Sauber a accepté la consigne sans rechigner mais il ne faudrait pas qu’une telle situation se répète à l’avenir. Pas de crise donc pour l’instant au sein de la Scuderia Ferrari, qui s’appuie sur le côté atypique de la piste de Melbourne pour justifier sa contre-performance. Il faudra donc réellement commencer la saison à Sakhir dans deux semaines.

The mechanics of the Haas F1 Team: cruel bis repetita

The Netflix screenwriters won’t have to rack their brains to write the script for the first episode of the season. Twelve months later, the American team’s mechanics caused a new retirement with a poor attachment of the left-front wheel of Romain Grosjean. The same as a year ago! A slight difference this year: car #8 completed seven laps before stopping on the side. A shame for the Frenchman, who was in the race for the top 10. Yet, the mechanics had been training all winter, repeating the exercise to exhaustion.

Fortunately for Günther Steiner and his team, Kevin Magnussen’s pit stop was successful. The Dane capitalized on the impressive Q3 from Saturday, securing sixth place and the status of “best of the rest,” behind the top five. The new Haas has potential and could clearly compete for fourth place in the constructors’ championship at the start of the season, against Renault or another team.

Williams: the beginning of the cross path

In 2018, the English team already had its subscription for the flop 3. The new season changes nothing: worse, the situation is worsening visibly for Williams. The FW42 is the only car that hasn’t improved compared to its predecessor! The problem with the current car is indeed global: George Russell talks about progress being measured in months. The continuity of a catastrophic winter, confirmed in Melbourne: even with all his goodwill, the British rookie (19th) had a deficit of 1’3″ in qualifying to Carlos Sainz, the 18th. In the race, the F2 vice-champion was indeed alone, one minute behind the Sauber of Antonio Giovinazzi.

A even more difficult weekend for the returning Robert Kubica, who admitted he had never been overtaken as much in Formula 1. 6th at the finish in Melbourne in 2017, 14th in 2018 but ahead of a Toro Rosso, and then dead last this year: the decline of the Williams team is staggering. It’s unprecedented since the Manor adventure, which ended in bankruptcy in late 2016. Of course, we wish a very different outcome for a historic Formula 1 team, crowned nine times in the constructors’ championship.