As we digest all of the goings on from the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, there are a few key talking points which every fan is talking about. Sunday saw Lewis Hamilton win the 34th race of his career, with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg finishing close behind.
Mercedes Dominance
As expected Mercedes sped off into the distance and were barely shown during the race, the Silver Arrows pair ended up around thirty seconds ahead of third placed Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari. This was the anticipated result, due to their pure power in testing, completing more miles than any other team, as well as already having a far superior car from the previous season.
Now some aren’t happy with their dominance of Formula One, most notably Red Bull. The 2014 runners up on Monday threatened to quit F1 if the regulations aren’t overhauled soon. Daniil Kvyat was out before the race had even begun due to a gearbox issue with Daniel Ricciardo only managing sixth.
The fact Mercedes reportedly weren’t even running at full power is a worrying one. The two drivers barely broke a sweat as they raced away to victory. This season could end up being like the 1988 season, in which McLaren won all but one race in the whole season, as it looks like only reliability will stand in the way of 20 one-two finishes this season.
Rookies
There were three rookies on the grid in Melbourne, there was Sauber’s Felipe Nasr and the Toro Rosso pairing of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. All three were very impressive, and all looked on course for points, until Verstappen’s engine gave way, which was still a strong debut from the young Dutchman.
Sainz could have finished higher than ninth had a botched pit-stop not lose him around thirty seconds, as he was running sixth at one stage. With Toro Rosso simply being a breeding ground for future Red Bull drivers, it’s evident the former champions have two top drivers here, as Verstappen showed blistering pace and proved all the nay-Sayers claiming he was too young at 17 to be in F1 wrong.
Then Nasr put in the star performance as he finished a creditable fifth, the Sauber debutant performed admirably as things off track were worrying for Sauber, Nasr’s performance was the shining light at the end of the tunnel for the Himwil based team. The three drivers all look to have a bright future, then with Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi of Manor possibly on track at Malaysia, we have more rookies to observe.
McLaren
Where to start with McLaren, the Woking based team had a torrid weekend. Their reunion with Honda isn’t yet having the desired effect, with the team making up the back-row of the grid in Melbourne. It’s not enough that one of their drivers is ill in hospital with a concussion, but their stand-in, Kevin Magnussen, his car broke down on the way to the grid before the race.
However it’s not all doom and gloom in the McLaren garage, Jenson Button, the ever reliable veteran of the grid, managed to actually finish the race, albeit in 11th place. Considering McLaren’s testing woes, including a faulty seal on the power unit ruling them out for two days, and that they hadn’t completed a full-race simulation, Jenson’s finish is nothing short of miraculous.
Where next? Well hopefully Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit for Malaysia, while hopes their troublesome MP4-30 will be better and more competitive won’t happen, a double finish would be a valid target for the Woking team, as watching a team fall from grace slowly is painful, especially a team of McLaren’s stature.
Ferrari’s Revival
From a team that’s fallen down the grid, to one which is making its way back to the top. Ferrari are enjoying a revival similar to Williams’ last season, as 2014 was dismal for the Maranello team. Team principal Stefano Domenicali left, being replaced by Marco Mattiacci, who knew barely anything about Formula One.
However now Maurizio Arrivabene has been brought in and things are starting to look rosy again for the Scuderia. Sebastian Vettel enjoyed a strong debut outing with Ferrari by picking up a podium. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen was on course for fifth until an unsafe wheel brought an end to his race. But with the team now looking best suited to take the challenge to Mercedes, the Prancing Horse will want to maintain their strong start.
Fernando Alonso must be kicking himself, leaving Ferrari for McLaren for 2015, and the Scuderia have come good, while McLaren struggle to even finish the race. Although Ferrari probably won’t win a race this season, the fact that they’re back at the front of the grid again will be welcoming news for the boys back in Italy.