Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was on his way to victory, but a lucky break gave Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel the advantage as he surprised the online gambling community by taking the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton had the speed and pace all weekend, making him the favourite on betting websites to win the annual curtain-raiser at Albert Park. In fact, he even led by as much a three seconds in the early part of the race.
However, the Brit star’s pit stop on Lap 19 allowed Vettel to defy betting odds and take the lead—something which the German never relinquished since then.
It was a superb race for Ferrari whose drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Vettel, started at second and third respectively. For Vettel, though, his decision to pit later and hold on his ultra-soft tyres played right into his hands.
After Raikkonen and Hamilton had stopped, Haas driver Romain Grosjean also came out of the pits with a loose wheel. He was forced to move to the side of the tracks, prompting the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to be deployed.
With the VSC forcing cars to slow down, Vettel took the opportunity to go to the pits. The 30-year-old then quickly returned and stayed on the lead throughout, stopping any chance of a Hamilton comeback thanks to his relatively fresher set of tyres.
It didn’t help Hamilton that he locked up with only nine laps to go, giving Vettel more breathing space en route to his victory.
“We got a bit lucky with the safety car, but I really enjoyed it. I hoped my start would be a bit better so I had to settle third,” Vettel said after the race.
“I was praying for a safety car and then one stopped at the exit of turn two and I was full of adrenaline, coming into the pits. Then I came out ahead and knew it would be difficult to pass. The last few laps I could enjoy a little.”
The race for the third spot became the focus of the race as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo unleashed a series of fastest laps to close the gap. Nonetheless, Raikkonen did well to keep the home hero at bay and break the hearts of Australian fans.
On the other hand, Fernando Alonso pipped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for fifth, while Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finished eighth—behind Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg—despite starting 15th from the grid.
Another highlight of the race, however, is the accident of the two Haas drivers. Besides Grosjean, his teammate Kevin Magnussen suffered an engine failure and failed to finish after a bright start that saw him defend the fourth place.
With the win, Vettel takes his third title in Australia and 100th career podium. It’s also back-to-back season-opening triumphs for the German who finished nine seconds ahead of Hamilton last year.
For Hamilton and Mercedes, they have another chasing to do especially with Ferrari establishing an 18-point lead in the constructors’ championship.
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