Ferrari are off to a fantastic start to the F1 season as Sebastian Vettel delighted online betting with an upset of Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes crew at the Australian Grand Prix.
After Hamilton grabbed his 62nd career pole position yesterday, betting odds seem to be in favour of another Mercedes opening victory. Nonetheless, Vettel had other plans as he crashed the world champions’ party and gave betting websites an early surprise in the traditional curtain-raiser of the campaign.
The first pit stop was critical for the 29-year-old German, pouncing on the lead after Hamilton pits first on Lap 17. Vettel took the front from there on and never conceded as he drove flawlessly to grab his first win since 2015.
He finished a little over nine seconds ahead of eventual second-placer Hamilton and 11 seconds up of another Mercedes driver, Valtteri Bottas. Meanwhile, his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen ended at fourth.
It was a masterful showing from Vettel and the Ferrari crew, though, as they kept the pressure on Hamilton right from the opening laps. The British driver was up for the Ferrari challenge, even breaking Vettel’s fastest lap record on the ninth with his own on Lap 13.
However, Hamilton’s poor grip on the grid – which he warned earlier during the race – proved to be a crucial factor that decided the game. It also benefitted Vettel that Hamilton was held up by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The race, nevertheless, didn’t only have drama in the front as a couple of misfortunes also affected the finishers.
Home hero Daniel Ricciardo started two laps down after a gearbox failure, while Romain Grosjean—who was at sixth on the opening grid—retired from seventh due to an engine problem.
The victory is Vettel’s first in Melbourne since 2011 – the year when he also progressed to win the title by a huge margin.
On the other hand, although it doesn’t greatly affect Hamilton’s title chances, it will still prove to be difficult to overcome especially that in 19 of the last 27 seasons, the winner of the opening race went on to secure the championship.
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