Sky F1’s Martin Brundle reflects on the first race of the 2019 Formula One season and the unexpected struggles which Scuderia Ferrari encountered in the Australian Grand Prix:
“What on earth happened to Ferrari? Both cars finished close together almost a minute behind the flying Finn. No doubt they could have gone a little faster if there had been any point, but then so could Bottas. And they certainly couldn’t live with the Red Bull of Max Verstappen who drove a fine race to third place to fill Hamilton’s mirrors in the closing stages. That Honda engine really has some grunt now. Out on track the Ferrari looked planted. Watching the on-board footage it looked equally serene if a little on the understeer side with the front sliding. The car looked comfortable but slow, whereas the Mercedes looked edgy but fast. Speaking with Sebastian Vettel at the airport he was as confused and surprised as the rest of us. Albert Park is a curious and quirky track, but after looking so good in winter testing, everyone, including all the teams, expected Ferrari to be the pace setters in the early stages of the season. Hopefully somebody has the answer and that they simply went the wrong way on setup for Melbourne.” – he explained.
“As ever, walking back into the paddock on a sunny Melbourne day for the start of another glorious season of F1 gave me a warm and comfortable feeling. I was, and remain, very excited about the year ahead. Bahrain next up, and that’s an altogether different track and challenge.” – Martin Brundle concluded.
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