The spectre of disappointment following qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix was immediately neutralised as the sleeping beast which is Ferrari roared into life on Sunday at Melbourne.
A flawless opening stint established the groundwork for Sebastian Vettel to claim an emphatic victory ahead of the Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, as Formula One commenced its new era on the most optimistic note conceivable.
The German’s triumph displayed that pre-season surrounding the Maranello outfit wasn’t unfounded, with a devastating performance belying Mercedes’ one-lap pace advantage on Saturday.
A decade on from Ferrari’s most recent triumph at Albert Park, the outcome, while by no means an instant classic, was most significantly vindication for the sweeping changes which were ushered in following Mercedes’ peerless domination in recent seasons.
Vettel’s first win since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix injects life into a sport which has suffered in the wake of the lack of competition for many years. That the respite was provided by Ferrari is of even greater pertinence, at a time when many were questioning their relevance.
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“It was clear when we started off… that we had a lot to do”, elucidated Vettel, having joined Ferrari in 2015, with last season a frustrating time for both parties.
Kimi Raikkonen contained Max Verstappen to secure fourth, the Finn producing an anonymous race while ensuring Ferrari enjoys an initial lead in the constructors standings.
The latter’s result, coupled with Daniel Ricciardo’s retirement, having started the race from pitlane two laps down, concluded a miserable weekend for Red Bull.
Forecast to contend for the title, the recriminations will inevitably arise at Milton Keynes as they find themselves some way adrift of Ferrari and Mercedes, though it would be premature to draw a line through their campaign so soon as the development race reaches unprecedented heights.
Felipe Massa, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top ten in a race of little fanfare though sizeable attrition.
Fernando Alonso promised to register an unexpected point until an issue in the final laps condemned the Spaniard to retirement, yet McLaren can take some solace from the effort following pre-season.
It’s early days, though a thriving Ferrari is great for Formula One whether it’s for victories or titles. Now they must sustain the challenge to ensure that the initiative remains for a concerted bid to give Mercedes its first headache in the hybrid era.
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