It's game on between Ferrari and Mercedes, and other talking points from the Australian GP

The 2017 Australian Grand Prix proved to be everything we were hoping for – a cracker of a race with an unexpected result. The new regulations ensured that Mercedes were toppled from the top by a resurgent Ferrari. As expected, we did not see much overtaking (none of the top five drivers completed an overtake) but yet, there was no dearth of battles up and down the order. Minor glitches aside (the season began with an aborted start, imagine that!) it was a super start to the season.

Here are the main talking points.

Mercedes vs Ferrari, game on!

The highlight of the Australian Grand Prix was that Ferrari toppled Mercedes from the top step of the podium – signaling a possible challenge to Mercedes’ dominance after three seasons. Sebastian Vettel was able to match Lewis Hamilton’s pace right from the start and eventually crossed the line nearly 10 seconds in front of Hamilton. Did Mercedes make a strategy error by pitting early? Ferrari will be relieved to know that, for once, it’s not them making the strategic errors.

Vettel’s win has given the team plenty to cheer about, after a win-less season in 2016. It’s also the team’s first victory at Australia in 10 years. Surely, a lot of fans were celebrating when the iconic German + Italian anthem combination played at Albert Park, reminiscing the Michael Schumacher era.

Despite Mercedes scoring a double podium finish (Hamilton in P2 and Bottas in P3), they will surely not be pleased with the outcome in Australia. Toto Wolff’s reaction when Vettel took track position over Hamilton was telling – angrily banging his table with his fist. Historically speaking, the winner in Australia has usually gone on to become the world champion. Psychologically, it’s given the team a huge boost to know they can beat the champions, Mercedes. To know whether we truly have a season-long battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, we’ll have to watch a few more races.

Raikkonen and Bottas need to buck up

While their respective teammates battled for victory, it was a largely average show by Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen. Even though Bottas finished in P3 (not too far behind Hamilton), he struggled to match his teammate’s pace through the weekend. Niki Lauda said he performed similarly to Rosberg and that the retired reigning champion would have gotten a similar result, which sounds ominous for his future at Mercedes. If Bottas wants to cement his place in the team, he needs to be looking to fight Hamilton on track. Speaking of Rosberg, he surely seemed to be having the last laugh about his former teammate’s fate at the race.

Disappointing show from Red Bull

The runners up of the 2016 Constructors’ Championship had a disappointing start to the season. Homeboy Daniel Ricciardo crashed out in qualifying and suffered an electronics issue on his sighting lap a few minutes before the start of the race. But hats off to the Red Bull Racing team for managing to get his car out on track, even if it was two laps after the start. He retired mid-race, obviously disappointed (and possibly headed off to the newly constructed Shoey Bar at the circuit to drown his sorrows).

Max Verstappen, although managing a fifth-place finish, had a largely quiet race. Worryingly for the team, he finished close to 30 seconds behind Vettel, making us wonder how long would it take for Red Bull to catch up with Ferrari and Mercedes. Despite that, Verstappen’s racing spirit shone through – he was heard asking his team over radio how much quicker he needed to go to match the fastest lap.

We had a glimpse of the Verstappen we love from last season when he attempted to pass Kimi Raikkonen for P4 in the first corner. Moreover, Verstappen’s ability to show up in the strangest of race situations played out again when then-race leader Hamilton emerged from the pits behind him. Hamilton’s inability to overtake Verstappen cost him the race.

The midfield battle

It’s safe to say that the midfield battle is going to be a slugfest all season long. Force India, last year’s fourth-place finishers, had a solid double-points finish, with Sergio Perez in P7 and Esteban Ocon in P10 (his first points finish of his career). Ocon made everyone sit up and take notice his spectacular overtaking move on Fernando Alonso, while Nico Hulkenberg also tried his luck to make it a three car side-by-side situation.

Williams scored good points thanks to Felipe Massa coming home in P6, while Lance Stroll failed to finish the race. A lot has been said about 18-year-old Stroll, who has had some spectacular crashes on track in the last several weeks. Stroll managed to record seven overtakes in the race, despite overtaking being seen as difficult this season, but surely needs some strong points finishes to prove his critics wrong. Williams will also be counting on Stroll to deliver points and help them cement their Constructors standing.

Torro Rosso will be pleased with their double points finish (P7 and P8) but no doubt they’ll be looking to work their way up the order. After a good show in qualifying, it was heartbreak for Haas as both their cars failed to finish the race.

Encouraging signs from McLaren

It is debatable whether McLaren will be pleased with the outcome of their race weekend or not. Alonso managed to nearly complete the entire race distance, but with just a few laps to go, he had to retire. Vandoorne finished the race but in last place. McLaren’s performance leaves a lot to be desired, but it is yet encouraging to know that they’re not firmly at the back of the grid. Alonso signed off the race weekend saying that it was one of the best races he’s ever had – you’ve got to feel for the man.

In two weeks, the action will shift to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Will Hamilton bounce back, or will Ferrari announce their arrival with a second victory? And will Red Bull Racing’s pace and fortunes change?