by M.C. – photo: formula1.ferrari.com | It is often said it doesn’t matter how things start but rather how they end. Sometimes, however, beginnings have a great impact on what’s to come: they can fuel the enthusiasm or otherwise cast a pessimistic shadow… The F1 Australia GP which took place this past Sunday in Melbourn could be an example of this. The first of the 21 races making up the 2018 F1 season has nourished the hopes of some of the teams and served as a warning, or spread some doubts and worries for others.

The most hopeful is now the Ferrari scuderia. The Italians used their strategic skills to beat Mercedes’ power. Despite all bookmakers, tests and analysis having Lewis Hamilton as the absolutefavourite, and the Briton enjoying pole position, last Sunday’s race showed everyone that good fortune and strategy also matter. In this way, and taking advantage of having both Ferraris in leading positions (Bottas’ second Mercedes was far behind after starting at the end due to a classification error on Saturday), the boys from Maranello played their cards well when Kimi Raikkonen entered boxes at the same time as the safety car emerged on the track after Romain Grosjean stopped on track. Hamilton then followed. Meanwhile, the German driver Sebastian Vettel, seized the moment to turn the race around and take the lead.

Despite being only halfway through the race, Hamilton had no chance to take over the Ferrari number 5 who held on to his advantage. Desperate at times, Hamilton found himself sandwiched between Vettel and Raikkonen, and finished his Albert Park rendezvous in second position, watching the victory slip away just as it happened last year.

Fernando Alonso is back in the competition

Outside the podium there was also plenty of excitement and some surprises: some good, others not so much. The Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) finished four, letting the podium slip away again in his homeland. The Haas, which promised some good results after the positive tests and classification, had to quit halfway through, although they did demonstrate their potential.

And then there was one of the most awaited performances of the weekend; something that everyone, fans and haters alike, were eager to watch; Would Fernando Alonso be competitive again on board the new McLaren-Renault? Nobody dared to anticipate what could happen in Australia with any measure of confidence after a very uncertain pre-season, but the Spaniard managed to achieve a very exciting fifth position. A combination of factors helped him; his strategy during the safety car, an element of luck, and later on, his driving skills, as he fended off the, in principle more powerful, Verstappen from Red Bull. According to Alonso himself: “winter is over”…Only time will tell…

Carlos Sainz achieved a discreet but admirable tenth position if we take into account the technical and physical issues that the Renault driver has had to endure. Toro Rosso’s Hondas were not able to finish, letting on that their pre-season improvements were not as significant as expected. Williams are not quite there yet, and Force India are in no man’s land…

Although these are just the beginnings and things are likely to change over the course of the season these initial results could have a determinant impact on the final outcome. We will see how these initial sensations evolve as weeks and races go by.