Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel brought forward his strong qualifying performance into the 2011 Australian GP and has emerged victorious by being the first driver to cross the finish line. The German driver from last year’s Constructors champion Red Bull maintained his lead pretty much for the entire duration of the race ahead of 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton from McLaren.
The final podium position went to Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov after an excellent drive. Interestingly, the Russian managed to fend of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso yet again! It was at the final race in 2010 when Petrov kept Alonso at bay and subsequently the Spaniard failed to collect his third title.
Vettel’s Australian teammate Mark Webber only managed fifth place after having an interesting battle with Alonso. SIxth place went to McLaren’s Jenson Button. Both Sauber drivers finished in the points today with Sergio Perez’s seventh place and Kamui Kobayashi’s eight place finish while Felipe Massa from Ferrari settled with ninth place. The final point-paying position went to Sebastien Buemi from Toro Rosso. Nick Heilfeld in the other Lotus Renault was only able to finish in 14th place ahead of Jarno Trulli from Team Lotus, after starting from 18th.
Trulli’s teammate, Hekki Kovalainen failed to finish the race no thanks to a mechanical failure. The DNF or Did Not Finish list was also made up by both Mercedes GP drivers. Michael Schumacher retired after sustaining damage from a first lap incident while Nico Rosberg also retired due to the same reason, but later on in the race. Both Williams drivers including Rubens Barrichello who caused Rosberg’s retirement and Virgin’s Timo Glock also failed to finish the 58-lap race.
The start of the race was drama-free until a couple a corners down the track when Jaime Alguersuari and Michael Schumacher to came into each other. Alguersuari managed to finish the race but it wasn’t the same case for the 7-times World Champion as there was damage on his car’s rear right and he was forced to retire a couple of laps later. Rubens Barrichello also went through a scenic ride onto the gravel but managed to nurse his car back on to the track.
Up front the top three positions were filled up by Vettel, Hamilton and Webber at the beginning. However only Vettel and Hamilton maintained their top positions through out the race. Despite the ban of refueling, drivers had to pit multiple times for new tyres as the Pirellis degraded more compared to the Bridgestones used in recent years. The DRS or Drag Reduction System was also used by the drivers but it didn’t make overtaking an easy affair. It was still difficult to overtake which comes as good news. It wouldn’t be fun if it’s too easy to overtake isn’t it?
Highlights of the race included an early squabble between Massa and Button. Both were battling for fifth place and Massa was driving his wheels off while defending against Button who eventually made a move, but did so via a shortcut. Button was then handed a drive through penalty for the error. Later on in the race, a battle developed between Webber, Alonso and Petrov for the final podium position, which eventually went to Petrov’s hands.
Overall it was an interesting race, although the drama was toned down a little, relatively speaking that is. The higher degrading rate of the Pirellis made way for more pitstops and interesting tyre strategies. Formula 1 now heads to South East Asia for the 2011 Malaysian GP at the Sepang International Circuit. See you on April 10th!
UPDATE: The FIA has disqualified both the Sauber drivers due to a technical infringement with the rear wing. In response, the team has announced plans of filing an appeal. This means that Massa is now seventh and Buemi is eight. Both Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta from Force India are in the points, with their respective ninth and tenth positions.
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AI-generated Summary ✨
Comments mostly focus on race highlights, with Vettel’s impressive win, Petrov’s surprising podium, and Red Bull’s dominance being highlighted. Supporters praise Lotus Renault’s strong start, while some mention the team’s strategic decisions and similarities to classic Lotus. Fans express disappointment with other teams like Mercedes and Team Lotus, and some discuss TV broadcasting issues. There’s also some light-hearted banter about drivers, team names, and race strategies. Overall, the tone is enthusiastic, celebrating Vettel’s victory, Petrov’s breakthrough, and genuine excitement for the season ahead.