Commentary: Five things we learned in Melbourne

By Michael Butterworth

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Formula 1 season got underway last Sunday in Melbourne, Australia, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel narrowly holding off the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to take the spoils. And with the opening round of the championship providing much food for thought and a few surprises, Xinhua takes a look at some of the key issues to have emerged from this year's curtain-raiser.

Hamilton and Mercedes still the team to beat

Although having to give best to Vettel on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton may be forgiven for leaving Australia quietly confident of his prospects of bagging a fifth world title. The Briton was in scintillating form in qualifying, blowing away his rivals with a lap reminiscent of Schumacher at his imperious peak. He duly led the field away on Sunday, but a combination of a safety car period and a timing error by Mercedes allowed Vettel to slip through into the lead. Overtaking is notoriously difficult at Albert Park, and after hounding the Ferrari for several laps, Hamilton ultimately decided to save his car and settle for second. In terms of outright pace, however, Mercedes' rivals must be united in acknowledging that the three-pointed star still appears to have the edge. The next two races in Bahrain and China are expected to suit the Mercedes package, and it would be a surprise indeed if Hamilton were not atop the winner's dais again soon.

Haas' pace is real

The wheels quite literally fell off the wagon for Haas in Melbourne, with a couple of catastrophic pit stops within two laps of each other ending what was the American concern's most competitive race weekend ever. Before his botched tyre change, Kevin Magnussen was running as high as fourth and comfortably keeping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen behind him, while teammate Romain Grosjean also featured well inside the top ten. But while the weekend may have ultimately ended in disappointment, it reinforced the pre-season notion that Haas has taken a big step forward in competitiveness. The team had comfortably the fourth fastest car in Australia, and if Haas can maintain a solid rate of development throughout the year, Magnussen and Grosjean should have plenty more opportunities yet to run at the sharp end of the grid.

Are McLaren still off the pace?

After a disastrous 2017, McLaren seemed to have turned a corner in Melbourne, with Fernando Alonso notably holding off Max Verstappen to finish an excellent fifth. However, while the Spaniard was full of optimism after the race, McLaren may be privately concerned about the ultimate pace of its car. During last season's lacklustre campaign, the team repeatedly emphasised that the weak link was its Honda engine, and that the McLaren chassis itself was as good anything produced by Red Bull. By that logic, then, having made the switch to Renault engines for 2018, McLaren should be level pegging with the drinks-backed outfit, which also uses the French powerplant. But while Alonso did finish ahead of Verstappen at Albert Park, that was largely down to a fortuitously-timed safety car period and a spin by the Dutchman that cost him time and track position. In Saturday qualifying, Alonso and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne could only manage 10th and 11th on the grid, and appeared to be around one second per lap slower than the Red Bulls. McLaren remains bullish about its prospects for 2018, with major updates slated to arrive for the next two races. But both Red Bull and the Renault factory team are also expected to maintain a strong rate of development throughout the year, meaning McLaren may soon find itself running to stand still.

Tightening the pack up

For those hoping to see closer racing throughout the grid in 2018, Melbourne offered some encouraging signs. Last season often saw Sauber and McLaren cut adrift at the back of the field, but both teams have made significant gains this year. This increased competitiveness was borne out by the results of qualifying at Albert Park, with the gap between the fastest and slowest drivers in Q1 standing at 2.5 seconds. By contrast, the corresponding session in Melbourne last year saw a spread of 4.1 seconds, and in 2016 the gap was 4.3 seconds. Though a sample size of one race may not produce the most reliable selection of data, there is evidence to suggest that 2018 will see a much tighter midfield pack, hopefully producing more exciting races and leading to more unpredictable results.

Bottas under pressure already?

While Hamilton was busy setting a blistering pace in Saturday qualifying, teammate Valtteri Bottas was having an altogether unhappier time of it, clouting the wall and ending up a lowly 15th on the grid, from which he could only manage to salvage eighth in Sunday's race. Out of contract at the end of the year, and with plenty of rivals only too happy to step into his seat, this was certainly not the start to 2018 the Finn would have wanted. Parachuted into Mercedes shortly before the start of 2017 following Nico Rosberg's shock retirement, Bottas seemed to fit the bill of being a quick and solid racer, but not too quick that he might threaten Hamilton's status as number one driver. On a personal level, the Finn's affable nature has contributed to a harmonious atmosphere within the team, in contrast to the tension that so characterised the Hamilton-Rosberg partnership, and if Mercedes does win both championships again this year, Bottas may yet keep his seat. But rumours have linked the drive with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Force India driver Esteban Ocon, and if the German outfit doesn't retain both titles it might spell "auf wiedersehen" for Bottas. Enditem