Australian Grand Prix (2017): Sebastian Vettel WINS for Ferrari – Mercedes 2nd & 3rd

Sebastian Vettel has opened the 2017 F1 season with a stunning victory at the Australian Grand Prix, pushing Mercedes in to second and third.

Could the 2017 Australian Grand Prix be the changing of the guard in F1? It certainly looks like it after a stunning victory by Sebastian Vettel for Ferrari.

It’s eighteen months since Vettel last won a race, but he won this race with a car that looked to be quicker than the Mercedes, and cunning that outwitted the German team. 

And it wasn’t just a squeaky bum win; this was a full bloodied, 10 seconds in front, I’m the daddy win.

Hamilton had the advantage of pole, but he didn’t have the pace to out run Vettel, and when he pitted for his first stop he came out behind Verstappen’s Red Bull – and got stuck there.

When Vettel came in for his pit stop he came our right in front of the Red Bull and the Mercedes of Hamilton, fended off Verstappen, and promptly drove away.

By the time Verstappen made his pit stop and released a frustrated – but impotent – Hamilton, Vettel was out of sight, and Hamilton’s new team mate Valtteri Bottas was close behind.

And that’s how its stayed, with a convincing 9.9 second win for the German in the Ferrari, and a forlorn look on the face of the Brit in the Mercedes. 

Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo had a bit of a ‘mare with his Red Bull which refused to run at the start, went out to play two laps late and gave up completely after 30 laps, Raikkonen gave Ferrari a fourth place to go with the win, the un-retired Massa managed sixth for Williams and both Toro Rossos and both Force Indias made the top ten.

McLaren had a glimmer of hope as Alonso managed to take the unimpressive McLaren-bodied Civic he was driving in to tenth, but his suspension gave up and he retired. Still, it wasn’t the engine.

Alonso’s new McLaren team mate, Stoffel Vandoorne, was the last of the finishers – and lapped. Oh, the ignominy for McLaren.

There may only have been one pit stop for the leaders, but this was an exciting race in many ways, mainly for the fact that the 2017-2018 season in F1 looks like it might be a proper competition.