Mercedes boss says team will recover from disappointment in Australia

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, right, and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain spray champagne at each other following the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 26, 2017. Vet.

Last season despite claiming ten race wins to Nico Rosberg’s nine, Hamilton lost the championship title to his then-Mercedes team-mate by five points. The first Ferrari victory since 2015 made Vettel, a four-times world champion with Red Bull, the only non-Mercedes driver to have led the standings since the V6 turbo hybrid power units were introduced in 2014.

“Once we put the soft tyres on, the auto turned to be very good and I was very happy – but obviously at that point we were pretty much in nowhere land. It’s been a great weekend for us as a team, but just in the race [I had] trouble with the tyres towards the end”, he said.

“If they’d got into a close battle at some stage we would have seen who was quicker”, Clear told Sky Sports post-race. We stayed out, the tyres were still holding on and the pace looked alright.

“But Sebastian has four titles and he will continue for many years to come”.

Hamilton had talked up Ferrari’s chances ahead of the race and said: “I don’t lie and I’m not really good at bluffing or playing poker”. This shows we’ve got a real race on our hands this season and it’s a challenge we will relish.

“I’d much rather win than lose but it’s part of Formula 1”.

Vettel had some luck when Hamilton – after starting on pole position for a record-equaling sixth time in Australia – pitted early to change tires and then got stuck in traffic behind Verstappen and couldn’t overtake. And now it’s about accepting that here Ferrari beat us.

But we want to know what you think, and if, based on this first race, you’re looking forward to the rest of the season.

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy”. Completing the top five spots are Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen on fourth place and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen on fifth.

With Vettel charging to victory at the 2017 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne Raikkonen endured a frustrating race to finish fourth but 22 seconds off his team-mate despite suffering no mechanical issues with his vehicle.

Ferrari looked threatening in the preseason testing in Spain, and after qualifying in Melbourne, Sebastian Vettel was able to split the Ferraris on the grid.