Shanghai’s long straight could sort F1’s men from the boys

A STRONG victory by Sebastian Vettel in the Formula One season-opener has Ferrari atop the F1 standings going into the second race of the campaign in China.

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, Ferrari and not Mercedes top the Formula One constructors’ championship.

And going into Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the Italian team are hopeful of building on Vettel’s season-opening victory in Melbourne a fortnight ago. “The team has evolved,” Vettel (pictured) told the pre-race news conference yesterday. “We’re in a better position and people are more comfortable and confident than last year.”

Vettel’s debut season with Ferrari in 2015 provided some cautious optimism which turned out to be misplaced – Mercedes romped to a third consecutive title in 2016 as the prancing horse team went winless.

But pre-season testing this term hinted Ferrari might have made the most of regulation changes to close the gap to Mercedes and finally give their drivers the firepower needed to compete.

“If you talk about load and high speed corners, these cars are definitely the fastest we’ve had,” Vettel said.

And the four-time champion admitted that he likes to develop a personal relationship with his vehicle – even if there are limits.

“I give my car a name, but it’s not like I stroke her in the morning when I arrive or phone up to ask how she is,” he joked.

Vettel’s easy manner is befitting the championship leader and teammate Kimi Raikkonen said even the expected rain on Sunday is not causing too much concern.

“Usually if the car is good in the dry it’s good in the wet too,” the Finn said. “We are not worried about the conditions.”

More of a concern might be the massive straight at the Shanghai circuit, the longest of the season, which will highlight any power advantage Mercedes retain over their rivals.

That will be a boost to Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, who may not be quite so welcoming of the Ferrari resurgence as he was in Australia if he ends up on the losing part of the podium once more.

Hamilton has four wins in China, unmatched by any other driver.

Ferrari and Mercedes split the top four places at Albert Park although Red Bull also hope to chase victories as the season progresses.

“It’s quite a big gap (to Ferrari and Mercedes) but I’m confident we can close it over the next few races,” Max Verstappen said. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, is also looking to kick-start his campaign after finishing a disappointing 17th in Australia.

Further down the field, Shanghai’s emphasis on power means McLaren’s Honda engine is likely to struggle so a repeat of their positive performance – at least in comparison to rock bottom expectations – in Australia seems unlikely.

“I can predict that we won’t be as fortuitous with our pace, compared to our rivals, as we were in Australia,” McLaren race director Eric Boullier said.

“The characteristics of the Shanghai International Circuit are very different from Melbourne, and its long, fast straights will likely expose the weaknesses in our package more than Albert Park did.”

Antonio Giovinazzi, meanwhile, will continue to deputise for Pascal Wehrlein in a Sauber”.