Ferrari search for positives after Hamilton dominates Vettel, Raikkonen
Ferrari search for positives after Hamilton dominates Vettel, Raikkonen
Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were satisfied to qualify in the top three of the Australian Grand Prix, although the Ferrari's gap to the record-breaking Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton leaves them with "an awful lot of work to do".
Vettel had set a new lap record to top the timesheets in Q2, but Hamilton knocked another eight tenths off that with his final flying run, stopping the clock at one minute 21.164 seconds.
Hamilton also set a new benchmark for pole positions in Australia, his seventh Saturday success in Melbourne taking him beyond Ayrton Senna.
However, the superior strategy of Ferrari helped Vettel beat Hamilton from second last season and the German was not too downcast, despite only managing a headline lap that was six tenths slower than Hamilton and good enough for third place behind his team-mate.
"I think we can be happy," Vettel said. "Yesterday I wasn't happy, I didn't really feel the car. It just kept coming better in qualifying.
Well done guys! #Kimi P2 and #Seb5 P3 is the final #Quali result #AusGP #ForzaFerrari pic.twitter.com/SMJhqAx7zU — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 24, 2018
"On the last lap I had a bit of a moment into 13, I tried to brake really late and it didn't work. It was really close and it's exciting for us when it's that close.
"Shame that Lewis had quite a big gap at the end but I guess his lap was pretty good. Looking forward to tomorrow, I think we improved the car and we'll see what happens tomorrow.
"It's very close, we saw yesterday on the long runs that pace is very close. It's not the easiest place to overtake but who knows. We have an opportunity at the start and the race, who knows. I'm really happy for the team, it's a good result. Let's get going."
Raikkonen conceded that the team would be busy before lights out on Sunday trying to find the extra time to Hamilton.
"It was a pretty decent job. Obviously the lap time difference is quite big," the Finn said.
"It wasn't a straight forward session with the rain this morning. We have to be pretty happy with where we are starting but there is an awful lot of work to be done to improve things."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 legend OFFENDED by F1's rejection of Andretti's bid
- 47 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Horner and Red Bull saga to reignite as Perez makes 'game over' admission
- 1 hour ago
F1 boss holds talks with Prime Minister about potential new race
- 1 hour ago
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
- 2 hours ago
Horner Red Bull saga set to reignite with FIA 'evidence' hearing
- 3 hours ago
F1 set for talks over RADICAL change to points rules
- Today 08:27
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860