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Highlights: Vettel wins Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo fails to finish

26th March, 2017
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Sebastian Vettel racing his Ferrari in Formula 1 (Photo: GEPA pictures/ Christian Walgram)
Roar Guru
26th March, 2017
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Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari have kicked off the 2017 Formula One season in style, taking victory at the curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix.

The German took advantage of an ailing Lewis Hamilton, who found himself battling tyre issues and was stuck behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen – following his first pit-stop.

After the Dutchman took his own pit-stop for supersoft tyres, Hamilton was released, however was unable to make an impression on the German in front.

Instead he fell under pressure from his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who finished a solid third in his Mercedes AMG debut.

It was a race that Daniel Ricciardo was unable to finish, having come into the grand prix facing a five-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox following his qualifying crash.

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The Aussie then encountered an electrical issue on the way to the grid, before having been forced to start from the pit-lane.

Though ultimately it was a hiding into nothing with the Red Bull driver retiring midway through the grand prix.

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Whilst overtaking was sparse, there were a couple of good moves made including one from rookie Lance Stroll on the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.

The 18-year old dived down the inside of the Swede into Turn 1, however ultimately failed to finish race retiring on Lap 40.

Fernando Alonso had his hands full too when Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg came charging three-abreast down the pit-straight to usurp tenth place on Lap 52.

A lap later, the Spaniard had to retire his McLaren with suspension issues diagnosed.

From the dizzying heights of a points finish on debut in 2016, Haas’ 2017 Australian Grand Prix ended in turmoil with both cars out of the race.

Kevin Magnussen tangled with Ericsson on the first lap, with both cars having initially survived the incident – but later succumbed to damage.

Other debutants in Stoffel Vandoorne and Antonio Giovinazzi who was deputising for the unfit Pascal Wehrlein, both ended the race as classified finishers.

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Giovinazzi finished two laps down from the leader in twelfth, whilst Vandoorne in a troublesome race in his McLaren was thirteenth.

Toro Rosso, whilst having a largely anonymous race, had both cars finish in the points with Carlos Sainz eighth and Daniil Kvyat ninth – having run long into his first stint on ultrasoft tyres.

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