Column: Five talking points from the Australian Grand Prix

Further editing provided by Fergal Walsh

Sunday’s race was one hell of a statement from Valtteri Bottas as he won the opening Grand Prix of the season.

The first week of the new Formula 1 season can feel like returning to school after a long summer holiday, being reunited with fellow faces before getting back to business.

The winter break certainly did Bottas a lot of good after 2018 was a disappointing year for the Mercedes man.

It took 476 days for Bottas to get himself back at the top of the podium as his last Formula One win was at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Something for the other title contenders of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel to think about.

The opening race to a new F1 season helps us spectators learn more about the 20 cars on track and what the potential lies ahead for some of these drivers in 2019.

Let’s take a look at some of the talking points from Sunday’s showdown in Melbourne.

5. 2019 could be a long year for Williams

Oh, how nothing has changed for Williams after Sunday’s race in the Australia sunset.

Both Robert Kubica and George Russell finished at the bottom of the leaderboard and they may have to get used to racing from the back.

The only real positive goes towards Russell by finishing ahead of his teammate in his first ever race in F1 but the position is not something to brag about for any driver.

For many fans of Kubica that have been waiting years for the Pole to return to the F1 track from what looked to have been an impossible task a couple of years ago, they may not want to see a talented driver like Kubica just filling up the numbers.

Nevertheless, returning in the first place is an outstanding achievement for Kubica. But after so much hard work, it will be gut-wrenching to come back only to race the remainder of his time in F1 stuck firmly at the rear of the field.

Fingers and toes are crossed that Williams will improve this year but at the moment, it’s looking very bleak.

4. Raikkonen’s experience is vital

It is going to feel weird not seeing Kimi Raikkonen regularly taking a step on the podium at the end of a race since leaving Scuderia Ferrari – but the F1 community will be so relieved that the Iceman is still in the racing series.

Not only is his fan base huge but so is his priceless racing experience. Sunday’s race was a solid performance from the 2007 world champion by finishing in 8th place after starting in 9th position.

And that too came after he was forced to take on an unsavoury strategy due to a visor strip getting caught in his brake duct.

Unfortunately for Alfa Romeo, their other new recruit, Antonio Giovinazzi, could not finish in the points but having Raikkonen on their side will really help the team push the boundaries.

Giovinazzi will have time to improve and is perhaps not expected to challenge Raikkonen, but the latter is certainly the head honcho there this season. With development set to be a crucial part of the midfield fight this year, Raikkonen's presence will greatly benefit the formerly named Sauber team.

3. A fine start for Red Bull and Honda

It was a fresh start for many teams and drivers before lights out on Sunday including Red Bull as they began a new path with Honda providing them with the engine goods.

Any decision made in a sport like F1 can be a risky one especially when Red Bull ended their 12-year partnership with Renault despite their championship glory between 2010 and 2013.

The last few years have been up and down for Honda. Let’s not forget their spell with McLaren that many fans had hoped would revive the Woking team but instead, the results were many DNFs for Fernando Alonso and for that, both McLaren and Honda parted ways.

But last year Honda’s work with Toro Rosso looked promising and it gathered the interest from Toro Rosso’s sister team.

And what a start they have made as Max Verstappen achieved Red Bull’s first podium in Australia since 2013 and Honda's first top-three finish since 2008.

The most intriguing development is that so far Red Bull look no slower than what it did when it was partnered with Renault. Splitting the Ferrari's on Saturday was a grand statement.

It is early days but the right car plus an inform Verstappen equals high flying results. 2019 could be a special year for Red Bull and Honda.

2. Ferrari’s pace is worrying

It was a difficult weekend for Ferrari, as we try to digest whereabouts it is in the pecking order. 

It's hard to believe that Mercedes found that much pace from pre-season testing, but then again, conclusions can't be drawn from the two weeks of action in Barcelona.

Ferrari was nowhere, and it will be a number of weekends before we know how it is truly shaping up. It's a worrying sign when your rivals disappear into the distance, as Mercedes did on Sunday.

Fans will be eager to see the Maranello squad bounce back and provide another close title fight. It's the least that we deserve, and Bahrain, which has proven to be a solid track for Ferrari in recent years, could give us some clearer insight.

1. Bottas jumps straight to business

Sunday’s win for Valtteri Bottas was refreshing to see.

The Finn is known for being one of the quietest drivers on the circuit but he is arguably one of the most likeable.

From the word go Bottas passed Hamilton at the straight before approaching Turn 1 and pretty much controlled the race from then on.

Sometimes getting away from something helps you reflect before figuring out where the problems lie and in this case for Bottas, a break from F1 in the winter months did him a huge favour.

It is no doubt Bottas’ finest driving since we first saw him in F1 in 2013. Could Bottas stop Hamilton getting a championship closer to Michael Schumacher’s 7?  20 races remaining.

boudy

Posts: 1,168

Judging the way that the Honda engine launches from the start line they aren't that far behind anymore. They will find extra motivation in this result. Could believe the overtake by VER on VET that was great skill.

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• Mar 17 2019 - 20:10

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