VETTEL LOOKING
FOR A FAST START
SEBASTIAN Vettel is out for a third straight Australian Grand Prix victory when the Formula One season gets under way at Melbourne on Sunday.
If pre-season testing is any guideline, Vettel and the new Ferrari SF90 are favourites on the Albert Park circuit, with Mercedes – despite five consecutive constructors’ title – something of an unknown quantity.
However Mercedes, with five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton again partnered by Valtteri Bottas, will be keen to get off to a better start than they did last season when it took the team a while to get into the groove.
“This is going to be the toughest battle yet, which is exciting… for all the fans,” said Hamilton.
“Ferrari, their pace is very, very good at the moment, so the challenge is going to be harder than ever.”
Four-time champ Vettel is seeking his first title in his fifth season with Ferrari, whick has a new team chief in Mattia Binotto replacing Maurizio Arrivabene and a new teammate for Vettel in Charles Leclerc, in for Kimi Raikkonen.
“It’s a big change but (former technical chief) Mattia has been with the team longer than I think most of the people that work for Ferrari, I think more than 25 years, so he’s not a new face. I think people know him, and have learned to trust him,” the 31-year-old German said.
“For sure it’s a new challenge but I think for the whole team we try to obviously turn the page.
“We had our weaknesses last year here and there and we obviously try to fix those and do much better this year. So far, the spirit is right, the team is on track, the car feels good so let’s see how we start the year.”
Mercedes and Hamilton were perhaps helped last season by errors by the Ferrari team and Vettel, particularly in the latter half of the season. This season looks like being tougher, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.
New regulations, including changes to the design of the front wing, will make the season about “who is able to adapt best to the new rules and the new tyres and all the challenges we will have to master during the year,” Wolff said. “The most adaptable and agile team will come out on top this season,” he added.
In an additional change, a point will be awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap time during a racer, provided he is a top-10 finisher.
Elsewhere there will be great interest, particularly in Melbourne, in how Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo fares after switching from Red Bull to Renault.
Polish driver Robert Kubica completes a remarkable comeback from serious injury in a rally crash eight years ago when he races with Williams.
Raikkonen, the most experienced driver on the circuit, will meanwhile make his debut with Alfa Romeo, which has taken over the Sauber name.
Red Bull’s challenge will be led by Dutchman Max Verstappen, now partnered by Pierre Gasly, but it remains to be seen how the team performs with new engine partner Honda.
| dpa