Track Torque: Mercedes on top in Melbourne

We had an excellent start to the new Formula One season in Melbourne last Sunday.

I think that the changes to the cars are appropriate and make for better racing for the enthusiasts.

George Russell and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli were first and second to the flag at the beautiful Albert Park track after an exciting race.

Ferrari were next up with Charles Leclerc just fifteen and a half seconds behind Antonelli and teammate Lewis Hamilton less than a second behind Leclerc.

Ferrari had led the race earlier on after Leclerc made a great start to take the lead on the first lap.

It was great to see the prancing horses back in contention at the top of the field.

Hamilton also made a great comeback, driving extremely well for the whole weekend.

Defending champion Lando Norris (McLaren) was next up in fifth place after a very good drive and was able to hold back the challenge from Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who pushed very hard right to the finish.

Verstappen also drove a good race to finish sixth after starting at the back of the grid due to an accident in qualifying.

All of the above drivers finished on the same lap and really gave us a good showing of the new cars and regulations.

Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was desparately unlucky to lose his car during the warm-up lap when a surge of high torque caught him out and he went crashing into the barriers.

This was disappointment for both him and his home crowd who had expected so much of their Australian.

Russell was a worthy winner after a superb drive in his three-pointed star but we must not underestimate Antonelli who pushed his teammate hard right to the end.

Mercedes are the men to beat at the moment with Ferrari close behind in their 'small turboed' new car.

It was expected that this technology would allow them to be quick off the mark and it worked!

Another unfortunate driver was Isack Hadjar (Racing Bull) who started well after a good qualifying performance, but fell out early due to a blown motor.

I believe we are in for some wonderful racing during the season ahead and can’t wait for China in a week's time.

The new Red Bull Ford engine proved reliable and fast during testing and the race so it was a disappointment to see Hadjar retire after showing us that he is a worthy teammate to Verstappen.

Oliver Bearman also gave a decent performance once again in his Haas Ferrari and he and Arvid Lindblad in the Racing Bulls Ford had an exciting race together.

Lindblad, despite his youth, drove a mature race and showed us his potential.

I think a lot more is to come from this young man.

Next up in ninth position was Gabriel Bortoleto in the new Audi.

Both Audis gave good accounts of themselves for the weekend but Nico Hulkenberg had a problem before the start when his computer would not talk to his engine and the car would not start.

Pierre Gasly in the Alpine Mercedes (not using Renault engines anymore) brought up the last point scoring position in tenth place.

All in all, it was a quality race with an interesting interpretation of the new regulations.

The new cars with 50% (internal combustion engines = ICE engines) and 50% electrical power are not as easy to drive with some dramatic torque inputs which caught quite a few drivers out.

The cars should become a lot more refined as the season progresses. We shall learn a lot more at the Shanghai circuit in China next week. Glad to be back!

DRIVERS
1 George Russell 25
2 Kimi Antonelli 18
3 Charles Leclerc 15
4 Lewis Hamilton 12
5 Lando Norris 10
6 Max Verstappen 8
7 Oliver Bearman 6
8 Arvid Lindblad 4
9 Gabriel Bortoleto 2
10 Pierre Gasly 1

CONSTRUCTORS
1 Mercedes 43
2 Ferrari 27
3 McLaren 10
4 Red Bull 8
5 Haas 6
6 Racing Bull 4
7 Audi 2
8 Audi 1

HAVE YOUR SAY

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