The twilight race in Melbourne was a one man show. Sebastian Vettel lead from start to finish to take the season’s first win 22 seconds in front of Lewis Hamilton. This was hardly a surprise as the Red Bull cars were expected to be around 0,3 seconds faster per lap that any other car. Mark Webber’s performance was disappointing as he managed only a fifth spot in his Red Bull. The team spokesperson said that they were looking at the tyre wear, which was a more of a problem for Mark than Sebastian.
The positive surprise of the GP was Vitaly Petrov driving a fantastic result for the Renault team. Vitaly, also known as the “Vyborg Rocket” is from Vyborg, a historical city of Finland ceded to Russia in WW2. And it looks like the Petrov vs Alonso rivalry continues as Alonso was yet again unable to overtake the rocketman. Petrov 2, Alonso 0.
Another huge surprise was Sergio “Checo” Perez. The Mexican newcomer finished 7th but was later disqualified due to a technical infringement. Following post-race checks, the stewards decided that both Saubers were in breach of technical regulations in relation to their uppermost rear wing elements. A bitter disappointment for both Sergio and teammate Kamui Kobayashi, but nevertheless a strong show from the team and the two drivers.
The race top 10:
1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Vitaly Petrov
4. Fernando Alonso
5. Mark Webber
6. Jenson Button
7. Sergio Perez *
8. Kamui Kobayashi *
9. Felipe Massa
10. Sebastien Buemi
* disqualified due to rear wing configuration on the Sauber
The final top 10:
1. Sebastian Vettel 1.29.30,259
2. Lewis Hamilton +22,297
3. Vitaly Petrov +30,560
4. Fernando Alonso +31,772
5. Mark Webber +38,171
6. Jenson Button +54,304
7. Felipe Massa +1.25,186
8. Sebastien Buemi -1 lap
9. Adrian Sutil -1 lap
10. Paul Di Resta -1 lap
The points standings:
25 Sebastian Vettel
18 Lewis Hamilton
15 Vitaly Petrov
12 Fernando Alonso
10 Mark Webber
8 Jenson Button
6 Felipe Massa
4 Sebastien Buemi
2 Adrian Sutil
1 Paul Di Resta
Next race is the Malaysian GP in two weeks time.