Paris: The more things change, the more they remain the same. At least, the first race of the 2012 Formula One season suggests so. Compared to last year there have been many changes in the sport.
Regulations have been modified, new technical partnerships have been formed, some driver line ups are different, most of the cars themselves don’t look the same as last year (step nose) and yet, at the Australian Grand Prix it was the same old story of McLaren and Red Bull occupying the top four places, leaving the rest (including Ferrari) trailing far behind.
Of course, this time, the rampaging Red Bull of defending champion Sebastian Vettel has been put on a leash by Jenson Button. The Briton has been in great form since 2009, when he won his first title. Last year too, when Vettel was running roughshod over the others, Button managed to hold himself well and even managed to get the better of the German driver on a couple of occasions.
At Melbourne, he was untouchable right from the word go. Midway through the race, he had built a commanding lead over the second placed Vettel. Despite the safety car incident near the end of the race, he was never threatened and managed to score a comfortable and encouraging win over Vettel. Button’s win augurs well for both himself and McLaren as they managed to break Red Bull’s shackles in the first race itself.
Lewis Hamilton would be disappointed with his performance. As a pole sitter, he would have been hoping to recreate the Saturday qualifying magic on Sunday. However, on race day, he lost the lead to Button very quickly. From then on, the doors of victory started getting shut with every passing lap.
Then, he fell back and had to be content with a third place. Considering Button’s récent form, Lewis’ work is cut out if he wants to challenge for the championship this year.
Of course, it’s not just Button that Hamilton has to consider. Vettel rebounded brilliantly on Sunday after a disappointing qualifying to secure a well deserved second place. Though at no point did he look like challenging Button, his recovery and the fact that he easily kept the second McLaren driver at bay was quite impressive.
Perhaps, even more impressive performance was that of Pastor Maldonado in a Williams. Maldonado is a relative newcomer to the sport, having made his début last year. The once mighty Williams their its nadir last year when they could manage a mere 5 points in the season. However, at Melbourne, Maldonado was a revelation in the Williams. He was fighting with Fernando Alonso for 5th place before his car spun and got damaged on the final lap. He ended 13th.
Though the end was unfortunate, the Australian GP must have brought a lot of cheer to a team that had nothing to show for in the last couple of years.
The Williams-Renault combination seems to be working again. Mercedes had a forgettable race after Michael Schumacher retired with gearbox problem while Nico Rosberg could only manage 12th place after tyre woes including a puncture on the last lap that resulted in him losing five places.
In terms of places gained, the driver of the race was Kimi Raikkonen, who started 17th on the grid and managed to finish 7th in the race. The 2007 world champion who has returned to Formula One after a two year absence looked confident and smooth as he sliced through the field and managed a solid result.
If he manages a good qualifying result, Kimi has the speed, experience and a dependable car to pull off podium finishes on a regular basis. His teammate Romain Grosjean, who started third on the grid, was unlucky to have been shunted out by Maldonado during the earlier part of the race.
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