After the dominance Mercedes showed in qualifying, Ferrari anticipated victory would be beyond reach in Melbourne. Once the lights went out, however, the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton put themselves in contention.
Leclerc managed to get the edge over Russell after a series of early skirmishes, with the Monegasque leading for most of the opening stint.
Unfortunately for Ferrari, a failure to stop during an early Virtual Safety Car handed the initiative to Mercedes. Thanks to strong tyre conservation, the Silver Arrows managed to prevent the SF-26’s from making a recovery after their switch to hard tyres.
In typical fashion, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur kept a very measured perspective in his post-race analysis. The Frenchman explains what his engineers are prioritising for the immediate future.
Vasseur reflects on Ferrari’s Australian GP
After qualifying, Leclerc suggested that Mercedes could be up to a second per lap faster on race day. This forecast was relatively consistent with the W18’s advantage in qualifying and – by extension – the race simulations on Friday.
However, things unfolded very differently at the front. Ferrari were far more competitive in high-fuel, showing a combination of strong outright pace and solid tyre management.
Perhaps more importantly, the SF-26’s power unit held its own. When Russell first overtook Leclerc for the race lead, some might have predicted the Mercedes driver to go off into the distance.
In an encouraging sign for Ferrari, Leclerc was able to respond immediately. Efficient energy harvesting and battery deployment was critical in keeping both Leclerc and Hamilton in the mix.
To some extent, this will encourage the Maranello outfit about their deficit to Mercedes. The Silver Arrows are obviously strong, but (even in the engine department) Ferrari could be within touching distance.
Of course, reaching conclusions after one race is always dangerous. A variety of factors influenced the race outcome, many of which could change or be eliminated entirely next weekend at China’s Shanghai circuit.
Still, given Hamilton’s strong final stint and the team’s strategy blunder, Ferrari have reason to believe they could have fought for victory until the final lap with better execution..
Overall, Ferrari can be content with their baseline for these regulations. The SF-26 is fast and, as shown in pre-season, very reliable. This should help the Scuderia to avoid the more alarming problems that other teams across the field are suffering with.
Speaking post-race, Fred Vasseur gave his breakdown:
“I think Mercedes was faster than us over the weekend. It was a good starting point,” the Ferrari team principal told Sky Italy.
“We know that we will soon bring a nice upgrade to the chassis. But we also need to make a step forward on the engine and on energy management.
“We need to keep pushing and focus on ourselves. We have a long list, as I said before, of topics where we can improve. We didn’t have a perfect weekend, but in the end it’s still a decent result for the team.
“In China it will be a different story, and the temperatures are also much cooler, so we will start again from zero.”
