New order left behind as Hamilton dominates

THE new Formula One season roared back into action today and there was an all-too familiar name at the top of the order after Lewis Hamilton completed an ominous practice double for the Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel exchanged verbal volleys in Melbourne yesterday as they failed to agree on which driver-team combination should be considered the favourites heading into a new era of Formula One following changes to the sport’s technical regulations.

The consensus in the paddock was that Ferrari, led by four-time champion Vettel and starved of championship glory for more than a decade, held the advantage following a promising eight days of pre-season testing in Barcelona. But Hamilton’s blistering pace around Albert Park would appear to point to the contrary.

Indeed Britain’s triple world champion, who is bidding to reclaim the crown he lost to bitter rival Nico Rosberg last year, finished both sessions an eye-watering half-a-second clear of his rivals.

Hamilton’s best effort of one minute and 23.620 seconds was 0.547 faster than Vettel in the second session with Valtteri Bottas, the Finnish driver hired to replace Rosberg following his shock retirement, marginally slower.

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth fastest with the Red Bull duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen fifth and sixth.

While there is only so much that can be gauged from practice with drivers operating varying fuel levels, the theory that this year’s wider, faster, and more aggressive-looking cars would shake up the order and bring a sudden halt to Mercedes’ dominance, is now under some scrutiny.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team have won 51 of the last 59 races and sealed three consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championships following an unprecedented reign of success.

And the 32-year-old Hamilton will be delighted with his opening salvo of the year as he bids to become the first British driver in Formula One history to win four titles. And while this is far from a disaster for Ferrari, they will certainly have hoped to be closer to Hamilton here.

McLaren arrived in Australia off the back of a catastrophic winter of testing plagued by a slow and unreliable Honda engine.

But the British team will be encouraged after the opening day of practice with Fernando Alonso 12th in the order. His new team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne was further back in 17th.

This year’s quicker cars are tougher to handle for the drivers and Briton Joylon Palmer was the day’s biggest casualty after he spun his Renault and crashed into the wall at the final corner.

Palmer damaged his pride and his car with his team facing a major repair job to get his car ready for qualifying on Saturday.