There we go, back to normal with Hamilton on top. Just hope heâll at least not have it easy in the races.
Free Practice 2 results
Interesting comments from the commentators. I managed to watch the last 2 minutes of practice, and everyone was saying that Ferrari and Red Bull is massively sandbagging in FP 1 and FP 2. Both teams focused more on longer race pace runs with heavy fuel. Plus, Vettelâs fastest lap he lifted off for the last 2 corners. While Merc did set the fastest, it is by no means a done deal that they are the fastest car. Qualifying tomorrow is going to be interesting
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I think so too, Ferrari and Redbull wont show their utmost until qualies
Damnit I really want Renault to do better than Red Bull. I know the chances are slim but it would be so great.
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Itâs finally time! Go Renault!
Kubica doing as well as expected
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Phwoaaaah. If youâd predicted during testing that Ferrari would be 7 tenths off pole in Aus, they would have called the men in white coats. This Merc may be twitchy, but it is bloody fast. Itâs a good thing races arenât won on Saturday. There is still the question of long run pace and tyre wear.
The midfield battle, apart from Williams sadly, looks insanely tight. At the end of Q2, P1 to P18 were covered by less than a second. The top teams will not be able to relax during qualy, especially Red Bull by the looks of it.
Special shout out to Lando Norris. Top ten on debut! This kid looks seriously quick.
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To be fair to him, he did clip a wall and blow out his rear tyre on his âfastâ lap that ended his quali session. Still, that Williams is pig slow. (Is also the reason for Sainzâs low start - he was behind Kubica and got caught up in bits of flying rubber and yellow flags). Gasly was disappointing. Norris brought smiles to the McLaren team.
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Hereâs hoping the race will at least be close. Also hoping Ricciardo can get to Top 6 somehow.
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Top marks for VB. And the FL bonus point too. The gap between P1 and P2 must be freaking Lewis out. And the Ferrariâs a full minute behind P1 is going to cause some serious âdiscussionâ back in the red team HQ.
Gutted for both Danny Ric and Grosjean in Australia again - the place just hates them. Norris solid start to his McLaren career. Good to see both the Williams finished, but theyâve got to be worried about their complete lack of pace.
Mediocre GP action wise up front, but the mid-field battle is going to be fascinating this year.
7/10
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Well that was unexpectedâŚ
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The race looked alot like last year despite the new regulations. Hopefully just the first race.
That wasnât a great race for Ferrari, hopefully also, just the first race and they will come back hard in the next race, otherwise itâs another Merc year.
Gastly, eish Kvyatt must have been loving that.
Haas, another bad pit? Damn Gene must be having a fit right about now.
And Ricciardo, really sad for him, however I do think he did go a bit too wide at the start, granted no one expected that to happen.
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Mega drive from Valterri! The gauntlet is very firmly down. As for the rest of the field, letâs hope Ferrari and Red Bull can find some pace, otherwise the only questions for 2019 will be a) who wins the Merc intra-team battle, and b) who finishes best of the rest.
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In all honesty, not the race I expected or wanted. Yes the fighting in the middle was decent, but the cars are to big for the tracks - that is the feeling I got, the guys wanted to overtake and just didnt want to take a chance.
I am glad Valteri got the win and extra point, he deserved it. I was wondering nonstop why Ferrari donât bring Vettel in for a pit so he could get fresh tires and either pass leclerc on track - something he will have to prove he can do soon, or go for fastest lap. The commentators wanted that from leclerc but holy crap the kid was fast on his tires and he would have passed vettel if it wasnt so obvious that they played favourites. As much as I like Vettel, I want to see him fight for the first place in the team, not handed to him on a silver platter.
Yes I get seniority and all that crap, but then, Merc would have told Bottas to slow down, mess up a pit stop to get lewis closer - also what the heck lewis? he was so bland all day.
Haas had another wtf moment with their wheel gun, the renaults looked unbalanced, even kvyat looked better on track.
And I will refrain from commenting on Williams
At least Lando did a decent job with his macca, pity for sainz his burnt up.
Overall, I could have slept in this morning rather than watch this race. Highlights or the repeat at 2 would have been good enough.
F1 TV - the app is pointless in SA, I really couldnt get it to do much but show highlights from old races and the qualies and practices of this weekend. I expected more.
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What a start to the season! There was a air of anticipation for the 2019 season with all the driver and engine changes on the grid, and Iâm sure a lot of people anxiously waiting for this GP for answers to some burning questions. But in many ways, this weekend left more questions than answers for some teams.
Bottas did absolutely fantastic! He was without a doubt the best driver in the best car on the day. In interviews he commented on the fact that the car was perfectly tuned for the track, and it showed.
Hamilton had an okay race. He was his usual moaning self, but did have to nurse a car with some floor damage. Ultimately when Verstappen looked like pushing him, he was able to comfortably stay out ahead. I donât think he was in any real danger. That Merc is in a class of its own.
Verstappen had a great drive. His pass on Vettel was textbook, and if it wasnât for that off at turn one, he wouldâve had a perfect race. It is great to see the Honda in the back of that RBR be that quick. Good to see Honda back on the podium. Apparently the Honda race engineers were in tears after the race, and you know this will only spur them on to make even more advancements to the PU during the rest of the year.
Vettel had a shocking race. Absolutely horrible. The whole weekend the Ferraris were on the back foot, never looking quick, never looking like the same cars from pre-season testing. There were no smiles in the garage, and the comments in press interviews tried to hide a darker secret of power issues for Ferrari. While Leclerc did show some pace, in the end they were never going to be top 3, or challenge for the fastest lap.
Other notable drivers:
Ricciardo had a shocker! That start was bad luck, but he never shouldâve gone that wide off the track. What about stay calm and survive until turn 1, how about that.
Stroll did very well, despite so much shit coming his way. He might be a paid driver, but he did end up in the points, something nobody expected from the newly founded Racing Point team
Gasly was way too timid in a very fast RBR, but did showcase exactly why people complain about Melbourne. It is just extremely difficult to pass on the circuit, but you would expect the RBR to be able to charge pass the likes of Torro Rosso
Poor Grojean, I really feel for him. He did a good enough job, and the Haas looks very competitive this year. But dammit that Aussie monkey keeps on sitting on their back.
Overall it was an enjoyable race.
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Did you see on Reddit that the picture of Ricciardo needs no wings was posted before the race and someone commented that they are going to save it for when he loses his wing in the race.
And then it happened!
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This is one thing that definitely stood out for me. Melbourne has always been a tricky circuit to overtake on, and at no point did it look to me as though the new rules made it any easier. Also, I think youâre spot on about the size; they may be the fastest and most advanced F1 cars ever, but they are heavy and ungainly compared to the light and agile machines from 20 years ago. Itâs no good having better aero that supposedly helps with overtaking, when the bloody car is so huge that you canât drive side by side with the guy youâre trying to overtake.
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