MOTORSPORT: Red team’s back, Red Bull’s not

Ferrari on the top step of the podium again is a big tick for Formula 1.

But, as much as the revered Italian team and the tifosi (its fanatical fans), are over the moon at Sebastian Vettel’s triumph in the Australian Grand Prix, it was the weekend from hell for the Australian driver with the Italian surname (and carsales.com.au ambassador), Daniel Ricciardo.

After a succession of 14-hour days on a promotional whirlwind, Ricciardo spun backwards into a tyre barrier in qualifying and copped a penalty for the gearbox replacement that required. Then he got stuck in sixth gear on Sunday’s installation lap, started from the pits two laps into the race, but lasted half the distance before retiring with a lack of fuel pressure.

The red team may have conquered the Silver Arrows that have dominated the era of hybrid power units, but the faster cars with fatter tyres and bodywork still lack the sound of traditional F1 engines and there was little overtaking.

Indeed, the decisive change in the race revolved around pit stops – Mercedes pitting Lewis Hamilton too early, while Vettel charged on seven laps longer before Ferrari called him in. When the German re-emerged he was ahead not only of the Brit but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who Hamilton could not pass for several laps – despite the Dutch teenager’s Renault-powered Red Bull car being considerably slower.

World motorsport chief Jean Todt had said earlier in the day that “overtaking has always been a problem” (and it’s especially hard at Melbourne’s Albert Park), “but maybe this [the increased difficulty now] was the price to pay to get more aerodynamic downforce”.

Except that, Todt, spectators and TV viewers can’t see aerodynamic downforce. What they’d like to see is competitive racing, including overtaking.

As the veteran British F1 scribe Nigel Roebuck reminded us recently, it was the late, great driver Gilles Villeneuve who said long ago that “people don’t come to races to see brilliant aerodynamicists”.

Todt, reaffirming that the Federation Automobile de l’Automobile [FIA] that he heads will continue to be the rule-maker under F1’s new owners Liberty Media, also said there would be no turning back the clock on engine noise.

While Liberty’s takeover, ending Bernie Ecclestone’s reign, has been generally welcomed within the sport, there’s no evidence yet of it bringing major change and there must be big doubts about what it can do that Ecclestone couldn’t, other than perhaps increase its social media presence.

Liberty wants at least a couple more GPs in its homeland, the United States, still the biggest and most affluent market on earth, but American fans are unlikely to be excited about an F1 with as little passing as was seen yesterday.

On the local front, race organisers could be in hot water with the FIA over spectators making their way on to the track while the cars that finished were on their slowdown lap. It may have added to victorious Vettel’s sense of celebration, but the FIA is unlikely to see it so kindly, concerned that it be a dangerous example for other circuits.

‘About time’, says Ferrari’s demanding master
Ferrari had been uncharacteristically quiet in the lead-up to this season-opener, but as predicted in our preview last week it loomed as the major challenger to Mercedes and ultimately toppled it.

Vettel finished almost 10sec ahead of Hamilton, with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas close on Hamilton’s tail in his first race for Mercedes, having filled the seat vacated by last year’s world champion, Nico Rosberg.

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth for Ferrari – albeit more than 11sec behind fellow Finn Bottas, but he set the fastest lap on his second last circuit – with Verstappen fifth and almost half a minute behind Vettel.

Fiat and Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne had been impatient for success after last year’s embarrassing winless season and his congratulatory note to the team began with a curt sentence: “It was about time.”

However, Marchionne was “delighted for the team and for our tifosi”.

“We’ve been waiting for this victory for almost a year and a half,” Marchionne said.

It was since Vettel’s success in the Singapore GP of 2015, his first season with the scuderia after departing the Red Bull team with which he had won four consecutive world titles.

“Hearing the Italian national anthem again was very moving,” Marchionne said.

“Sebastian delivered a great race and I am sure Kimi will be soon up there battling alongside his teammate.

“Of course, this victory is something to share with the entire team, both at the circuit and back in Maranello, because teamwork is the only way to achieve major goals.

“Now, however, it is absolutely essential to remember that this is not the destination but the first step on a long road that must see us all focused on improving each and every day.”

Marchionne also congratulated Italian rookie Antonio Giovinazzi, the Ferrari test driver who deputised at the last minute for Ferrari-powered Sauber’s unfit, Pascal Wehrlein.

Giovinazzi’s 12th place was one of the day’s most creditable performances, along with Fernando Alonso’s effort in having his struggling McLaren-Honda in the top 10 until he could longer withstand two faster cars and promptly bowing out with suspension failure.

One Ricciardo will want to forget

Having ridden high all week as the local hero, carsales global ambassador Daniel Ricciardo was devastated that when it came to his real job it was “not the weekend I wanted at home”.

“For all these things to happen at my home race that’s probably the most frustrating thing,” said Ricciardo, one of seven retirements from the race.

“We were on the back foot already after the crash in qualifying and then we had an issue during the warm-up lap followed by a second issue in the race. On both occasions the car just came to a stop so I couldn’t do anything else.

“I’m motivated to get ready for China [the second round of the 20-race world championship in Shanghai on April 9. Teammate] Max’s pace in the race looked a bit more encouraging, so I think we’re better than what we’re showing, but it’s still a bit of a puzzle we’re trying to figure out.”

Considering that Red Bull Racing is now very much the number three team, Verstappen was surprisingly upbeat about his distant fifth place.

“It was positive to see we weren’t that far off Ferrari and Mercedes over a full race distance,” Verstappen said.

Out front it’s looking like a genuine two-team contest for the first time in years, between Ferrari and Mercedes, while Red Bull is in danger of falling back into the clutches of the Mercedes-powered Williams and pink Force India cars.

Formula 1 World Championship driver standings after first of 20 rounds – 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari) 25 points; 2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes) 18; 3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes) 15; 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari) 12; 5. Max Verstappen (Netherlands, Red Bull-Renault) 10; 6. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams-Mercedes) 8; 7. Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India-Mercedes) 6; 8. Carlos Sainz Junior (Spain, Toro Rosso-Renault) 4; 9. Daniil Kvyat (Russia, Toro Rosso-Renault) 2; 10. Esteban Ocon (France, Force India-Mercedes)

F1 constructor standings – 1. Ferrari 37 points; 2. Mercedes 33; 3. Red Bull-Renault 10; 4. Williams-Mercedes 8; 5. Force India-Mercedes 7; 6. Toro Rosso-Renault

Citroen WRC boss fails drug test
The head of Citroen's World Rally Championship team, Yves Matton, has failed a drug test.

Veteran WRC correspondent Martin Holmes has reported that Matton was tested at the Condroz Rally in his native Belgium last year and tested positive to Preterax, a drug used in the treatment of hypertension.

Competing as an amateur driver, Matton finished fifth in the rally in an old Citroen C4 WRC.

Holmes reported that Matton has been suspended from 'active competition' for two years, but that it is not clear yet how it will affect his role as team director Citroen Racing, which he said was not commenting.

Matton, 49, is in his second stint of senior management at Citroen Racing, having rejoined it in 2012 to prepare for the team's transition, after rallying's most successful driver, nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, turned his attention to other motorsport activities.

Citroen has won eight WRC manufacturer world titles, second only to Lancia with 10.

The French company returned full-time to the WRC this year after only part-time participation last year with a satellite team, while it prepared its new C3 model, in which Northern Irishman Kris Meeke won the most recent round in Mexico.

The fourth round is in Corsica on April 6-9, with Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour the last of the 13 rounds in mid-November.

Ford and Toyota have also won rounds this season, while Hyundai has won the most stages.