British readers of a certain vintage will know exactly where we are heading if we pose the question, “what do you think of it so far?” For overall this weekend the response has been a resounding “rubbish!”.
Qualifying was when we were due to see the cars perform in pure anger, and while there is no denying the pace of the Mercedes pair, the spectacle was missing. Some fans are finding it hard to tell an out lap from a push lap, while others are mystified that drivers are taking corners without needing to brake any longer – Turn 9 being a good example – “super clipping” having slowed the cars by as much as 60 km/h.
And talking of drivers, the likes of Verstappen, Norris and Hamilton are clearly unhappy, and they’re the only ones currently speaking out, the rest, no doubt aware that the powers that be are watching and listening, maintain a dignified, but frustrated, silence.
It’s all very well Stefano Domenicali urging us not to panic and then dismissing the drivers’ criticism, but a U-turn such as that witnessed yesterday when the FIA withdrew a straight mode zone only to reinstate it a couple of hours later suggests a certain amount of panic.
Other than the lack of spectacle, fears over safety remain, with closing speeds of great concern, along with some of the lock-ups and offs witnessed this weekend, incidents which, for the most part, have left drivers puzzled and running to check the data.
And then there’s the start. F1 bosses have made no secret of the fact that the start of a race is the high point of the weekend, hence Sprint weekends feature two, but fears of a major incident at the start of today’s race are uppermost in many minds.
Not wishing to sound dramatic, but not for the first time the sport appears to be making it up as it goes along, and as Norris has pointed out, the cars themselves are good but why did they have to mess with the electrics, why the insistence on a 50/50 power split. Then again we all know the answer, along with such things as DEI, sustainability has a lot to answer for, but hey, at least we got Audi, Ford and GM to come play.
As for Mercedes, we said from the outset that the claims from the German team that Red Bull’s engine was the benchmark was pure smoke and mirrors aimed as distracting attention away from the compression ratio saga, and now, given free reign until 1 June, the German team is free to – as Russell so succinctly put it – “make hay while the sun shines”.
Hamilton has already expressed his frustration, and others are sure to follow suit should the W17 prove to be as dominant as it appears to be.
Talking of ratios, as Domenicali and pals continue to insist that everything they do is for the fans, said fans have been somewhat merciless in their reaction to the latest (DEI) policy promotional video posted by F1 on social media. Making it clear that they are here for the racing and not inclusivity, many helpfully advise that going woke usually leads to going broke.
Putting the negatives aside however there is, hopefully, still much to look forward to today.
First off there is the battle between the Mercedes pair, with Antonelli, despite the over enthusiasm, looking more and more confident with every day that passes. Then there’s Hadjar looking to be one of the strongest teammates Verstappen has had for a while, with the Dutchman’s fightback through the field likely to cause some fireworks. Then there’s those lightning starts witnessed in Bahrain from Ferrari.
If the Mercedes is as good as we think, the fight for best of the rest will be led by McLaren and Ferrari, with Red Bull’s initial hopes resting on Hadjar. The RBs are looking good for decent points as are Audi and Haas, while Williams and Alpine have been somewhat disappointing, particularly since they have the Mercedes engines.
However, despite the potential for some great battles, let’s hope that there are no major incidents, and that the doomsayers are proven wrong. Apart from anything else, with McLaren unable to replace Norris’ damaged front wing yesterday due to the lack of a spare, let’s not forget that the next race is next weekend.
Based on performance analysis and the condition of the sets at the end of the sessions, Pirelli believes that all three compounds could play a role today and that a one-stop approach is feasible with the medium-hard combination being the fastest on paper. This would involve switching between lap 20 and lap 26.
Some high-fuel runs with a representative number of laps in free practice also suggest the use of the soft compound. If managed correctly, the red-banded tyre could be a viable option at the start, with the hard being used for the remainder, fitted between laps 15 and 21.
It should be noted that the time lost in the pit lane for a tyre change is minimal at around 21 seconds, and Melbourne’s history of race neutralisations indicates a 75% probability of a safety car. Consequently, the possibility of two-stopper remains real. In that case, teams could opt for the medium-hard-medium combination, or if they want to take a more aggressive approach, the soft-medium-soft. After all, there have certainly been no shortage of track stoppages thus far.
Of the big guns, Verstappen has the most fresh softs (5 sets), while the McLaren and Mercedes drivers have two sets of mediums, and the Red Bulls two sets of hards.
The pitlane opens and Norris leads the way, followed by Lindblad, Bearman, Ocon, Bortoleto and Colapinto.
Oh dear, Piastri has gone off at Turn 5 and damaged the front of his car. He climbs from his car as Zak Brown stares at the monitor in disbelief.
Replay shows he goes over the inside kerb with his front-left and simply loses it, spearing nose first into the barrier and then slamming sideways into it. His race is over before it has begun.
“Did something happen or did he just brake down?” asks Norris. “He lost it on the exit kerb of Turn 4, doing a shift,” he is told.
As the cars take their places on the grid the air temperature is 23 degrees C, while the track temperature is 36 degrees. It is bright but with lots of cloud. There is a 0% risk of rain.
Hulkenberg has been noted for a starting procedure infringement. Indeed, the German is shown as still being in the pitlane.
All are starting on mediums bar Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Bottas and Verstappen who are on hards, and Alonso and Sainz who are on softs. Fresh rubber all round.
As they head off on the formation lap, Piastri’s absence means a nice clean space in front of Hamilton. All get away, though a few, including Hamilton, are somewhat sluggish.
Colapinto has been noted for a starting procedure infringement.
The grid forms.
A poor start from Russell and to an extent his teammate, as Hadjar looks to move in between the two. However, as expected, Leclerc makes a lightning start, as does Hamilton, and as they arrive in Turn 1, the Monegasque in ahead on the inside, with Hamilton looking to go around the outside of the Mercedes.
Behind, Hadjar is ahead of Norris, while Antonelli, who reports he has no battery, is under pressure from Lindblad.
Out of Turn 1 Hamiton runs wide having been squeezed out, thereby allowing Hadjar through as Lindblad, Norris and Antonelli are three abreast behind. Lindblad subsequently passes Hamiton as Ocon seeks to pass the struggling Antonelli.
At the end of Lap 1, it’s: Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Hadjar, Lindblad, Norris, Antonelli, Ocon, Gasly and Alonso. Alonso tenth!!!
Russell is all over Leclerc, the Mercedes driver nailing the Ferrari in Turn 11. Hamilton is over a second behind.
Next time around Leclerc repasses Russell in Turn 10 as Hamilton closes in, the Briton having posted a new fastest lap.
Antonelli passes Norris for sixth as Alonso drops to twelfth.