Lewis Hamilton braced for Ferrari battle after Sebastian Vettel wins Australian Grand Prix
MERCEDES' three-year domination of Formula One looks on shaky ground this morning as their confidence was rocked by Ferrari pace and a Sebastian Vettel victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Bookmakers had pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton as a heavy favourite to win at Albert Park - and indeed to win his fourth world title - but the Briton finished runner-up - nearly 10 seconds behind Vettel after complaining of poor grip.
But in what could be considered a further dig at former team-mate and world champion Nico Rosberg, who retired at the end of last season, Hamilton believes the sport is finally seeing the crem de la crem battling it out for the title.
"Definitely," said Hamilton, when asked if he was anticipating a greater challenge from Vettel than Rosberg. "This year you are seeing the best against the best with the best drivers at the top.
"It would be great if we had Fernando Alonso up there, too but it doesn't look like that will happen any time soon.
"At least we have a great driver in Sebastian winning four titles after his incredible surge into Formula One and he will continue to be a force for many years to come.
"I'm really grateful to have that fight with him, against Ferrari which is the next best team and there is a top driver there too. It has been a privilege to be racing in an era with him and finally we are in a period of time when we can actually have a real race."
Deep down, however, Hamilton would have been frustrated. And those emotions were shared in the team garage, where Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff pounded his fist on a desk in rage after Vettel snuck in front of the Briton when re-joining the race from a pit-stop.
"I need to work on my emotions during the race," Wolff said, before joking: "I will talk to someone professionally about it."
Vettel burned away for a dominant win that has raised hopes of a genuine challenge to the Mercedes team that has swept the drivers' and constructors' championships for the last three years running.
Three-times champion Hamilton had declared Ferrari the "quickest" after winter testing and his forecast of a title fight with the Italian glamour team appeared right on the mark.
"I don't lie. And I'm not really good at bluffing or playing poker," said Hamilton. "I didn't know how quick they were going to be in the race. The pace they showed in testing was true and today their speed in that first stint on ultra soft tyres was fantastic.
"My real strength wasn't until right at the end of the race but it was far too late by then."
Wolff was also convinced Ferrari had the quicker car and saw testing times ahead for a team that has largely raced itself for three years.
"Some you win, some you lose and today the Ferrari was the quicker car. And it put us under pressure straight from the beginning and that's how we lost it," he said.
"It's going to be very close, there's no big margins between the teams and also between our two team-mates. It's going to be a more stressful season than in the past but personality-building."
Vettel's victory was Ferrari's first race win since September 2015. It was also the first time since 2010, with Alonso in Bahrain, that the sport's oldest and most successful team had won a season-opening race. Ferrari last won in Australia with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
"It's unbelievable," said Vettel, after claiming the 43rd victory of his career. "It's what we needed. The guys have been working really hard and not getting much sleep.
"For all of us, it's a positive surprise. The new car in general is fantastic and is a great reward, a big relief for everyone."
Valtteri Bottas, who took Rosberg's vacant seat, was third on his Mercedes debut but said: "I struggled quite a lot with the ultra soft tyres, I felt I was sliding around, missing some front and rear grip.
"It's going to be a big challenge, we need to work really hard if we want to beat Ferrari. They were quicker today, no doubt."