Under Pressure: How did the drivers feeling the heat do in Melbourne?

There aren't many seats hotter than those available in Formula 1, with drivers constantly under pressure to hold onto their jobs. Here we examine the three racers potentially feeling the heat more than others in 2018 and analyse their Australian Grand Prix performances.

KIMI RAIKKONEN, FERRARI

Why is he under pressure?

Now the oldest driver on the grid at 38, Raikkonen has finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel just nine times in the four seasons they've been team-mates. Ferrari clearly see Vettel as their star driver, but how long can Raikkonen realistically remain in that seat if he's unable to play the supporting role he's evidently there to do?

Ferrari have tended to favour a consistent driver line-up down the years, and if they opt to re-sign Raikkonen for a sixth straight season, he would become the fifth driver in history to surpass 300 grands prix - Fernando Alonso will become the fourth this year.

If Raikkonen isn't scoring regular podiums by mid-season, his future will be up for debate and there'll be no shortage of drivers queuing up to replace him. His 2007 world title is still the most recent for a Scuderia driver, but past reputation cannot guarantee you a seat forever.

Whether this is to be Raikkonen's final year or not, there are many who would welcome a return to form for F1's unflappable Finn as it would be a genuine shame to see his career fizzle out, as it has looked like doing recently.

How did he perform in Melbourne?

Well, very well. A front-row start, ahead of Vettel on the grid for the first time since October, was the perfect way for Raikkonen to launch his season. He made a good start and ran ahead of Vettel until the VSC mixed up the order, then defended well from home hero Daniel Ricciardo to secure a first Melbourne podium since his win here for Lotus in 2013.

Family portrait ???????? great team #ScuderiaFerrari #AusGP #Seb5 #Kimi7 pic.twitter.com/BPdrxliHDR — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 25, 2018

VALTTERI BOTTAS, MERCEDES

Why is he under pressure?

After Nico Rosberg's surprise retirement, Lewis Hamilton was probably glad to find himself with a less political team-mate who was more willing to support his own title bid - let's be honest, wouldn't most drivers?

Bottas performed well in that role, taking three wins along the way, but was never really a threat to Hamilton's championship aspirations. With nine wins, Hamilton finished 58 points clear of Bottas as he cruised to a fourth world title. Now with his contract up at the end of this season, Bottas knows he must up his performance to fend off speculation regarding his seat for 2019.

At the bare minimum, he'll need to repeat his tally of three wins from last season, and also work towards maximising the car in qualifying trim. Last season, the gap on Saturdays was just over 0.3 seconds on average, which doesn't sound a lot when you're up against F1's record pole sitter, but it was, in fact, the second largest gap between full-time team-mates over the course of the 2017 season.

Hamilton thrives on pressure, and a quick team-mate often brings out the best in him as both Rosberg and Jenson Button have proved. With the likes of Esteban Ocon and Ricciardo eyeing up his seat, it's uncertain if Bottas will continue to be Hamilton's wingman in future.

How did he perform in Melbourne?

Not great. Bottas was off Hamilton's pace in practice, and then damaged his chances (and car) considerably with a huge crash in Q3. Starting 15th following a gearbox change, he spent the first half of the race stuck behind Sergio Perez and had only climbed to 13th by lap 20. The safety car period worked well for him as he moved into the top 10, but from there on he spent the rest of the race staring at Nico Hulkenberg's gearbox and could climb no higher than eighth.

"We need to learn from this weekend and try again in two weeks in Bahrain" ????https://t.co/xcUodTbm4c #AusGP pic.twitter.com/SifHxb9kYX — Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) March 25, 2018

SERGIO PEREZ, FORCE INDIA

Why is he under pressure?

Now in his eighth season in F1 - and fifth consecutive with Force India - Perez finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to prove himself again. Perez received a wakeup call last season, as he found new recruit Ocon a much trickier opponent than he had estimated.

With the average qualifying gap between them just 0.074s, Perez and Ocon were one of the most evenly matched pairings on the grid last season, but being that close led to several on-track clashes and the pair were barely on speaking terms by the end of the summer.

Despite Perez scoring some memorable podiums for the team in recent years, there was a feeling by the season's end that Ocon's long-term potential was greater. With Perez now 28, he's quickly running out of time to earn the frontrunning drive he so desperately wants.

This year's Force India appears to be a step back from last year's car, and with fewer opportunities to impress, it becomes imperative that Perez beats Ocon consistently this season if he is to avoid spending the remainder of his career in the midfield.

How did he perform in Melbourne?

Perez's cause has been not helped by the fact that Force India appear to have slid behind McLaren, Renault and surprisingly Haas over the winter. Perez did at least outperform Ocon though, lapping 0.7secs quicker than him in qualifying and finishing 13 seconds ahead in the race. Unfortunately for Perez, the highest he ran all race was 11th as Force India failed to score in Melbourne for the first time since 2009.

Regroup, analyse, come back stronger in round 2. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again! #AusGP pic.twitter.com/g0ovwMcEq6 — Sahara Force India (@ForceIndiaF1) March 25, 2018