With the lights having gone out and the chequered flag waved for the first time in Formula One 2014, what have we learnt from the opening round of the championship season?
Mercedes pre-season was no bluff
Mercedes dominated the bulk of the weekend, and we aren’t just talking about the works team that won the Grand Prix and achieved pole position through Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton respectively.
Throughout the field, Mercedes-powered teams showed their engines were superior, with (following Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification) Mercedes locking out six of the points positions, including all three steps on the podium.
New regulations aren’t all doom and gloom
Much of the talk prior to this season was what effect the new regulation changes would have on the sport, specifically the new 1.3L V6 turbo ‘power-units’, and the fuel economy regulations.
Controversy has already struck regarding these fuel restriction regulations, with local hero Daniel Ricciardo having his second place in the Grand Prix stripped, after the FIA found the Red Bull team “exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow of 100kg/h”.
As Red Bull puts its appeal together, the FIA and teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari have banded together regarding the reliability of the fuel-flow sensors used by the FIA to monitor the fuel going into the power-units. The outcome of the appeal, should Red Bull lodge it on time, may have a strong bearing on the rest of the season.
On top of this, there has been mixed reaction regarding the new power-units as a whole, with many commenting negatively about the sound, whether it be the lack of volume, or the sound as a whole being detrimental to the sport. Australian Grand Prix organisers even tossed up the possibility of suing for a breach of contract.
However, many of those who wrote off the effect of these new regulations found themselves quietly impressed by the action on track, proving once again Formula One can change with the times and still entertain.
Hulkenburg can drive almost anything
Martin Brundle mentioned during the race whatever Nico Hulkenburg drives, he always pops up towards the front from time-to-time.
After a stellar qualifying performance for the 2010 Brazilian GP, and more stellar performances upon moving to Force India in 2012, which included leading the 2012 Brazilian GP before an error led to his retirement, Hulkenberg spent 2013 with Sauber, which saw him improve his championship position from 2012, despite scoring less points.
In 2014, Hulkenburg has returned to Force India and finished sixth in Melbourne.
With Hulkenburg often speculated for a Ferrari seat, and rumours of Fernando Alonso becoming restless with Ferrari’s lack of ability to finally deliver him a championship-winning car, maybe Nico has the 2014 season to impress those behind the scenes at the Prancing Horse to take him on board.
Ferrari has deja-vu
Leading on from the Alonso rumours, Ferrari failed to get on the podium at the opening race of the season.
As Alonso said the team shouldn’t just be happy with a double-points scoring race from the team, it’s clear more is expected from within the Scuderia squad.
When the last major regulation changes occurred prior to the 2009 season, Ferrari found themselves down the pecking order after winning the 2008 Constructors Championship, and subsequently on the back foot for the majority of the following seasons.
With the next race taking place on the 30th of March in Sepang, the teams have two weeks to analyse what went right and what went wrong in Melbourne, so they can correct any issues before a possibly very hot and/or very wet Malaysian Grand Prix.
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