Vettel Outshines to Win Australian GP

Sebastian Vettel celebrated the victory on Sunday at the first race of the 2017 Formula 1 Season in the Australian Grand Prix.

To take the gold medal, Ferrari’s Vettel outshined Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes in Melbourne, grabbing the lead in the pit lane and never relinquishing it. Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished in third place, ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

The Australian GP was also a “battlefield” for Mercedes, who enjoyed a stranglehold over this sport for three years but was dethroned by with a display of exceptional pace and cunning. In addition, it has staged the next round of the long-awaited battle between Vettel and Hamilton, two drivers who have won six of the last seven world titles between them. 

“I would love to have a close battle with Lewis,” Vettel said. “It looks like we have equal machinery, and I hope it stays that way. I have great respect for him – I still remember his move on Alonso here 10 years ago. He made other people look very silly."

The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix saw a controversy in the qualifying sessions when Alonso held Hamilton up in the pit lane, denying Hamilton a chance to record a final lap time. Stewards later dropped Alonso five places down the starting grid of the race, putting him in sixth while Hamilton started in pole position