AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - RACE
The first race of the 2016 season got off to a slightly dramatic start when the start was actually aborted. This was due to Daniil Kvyat not making it back to his grid-slot after the pre-race formation lap. The drivers then had to take another formation lap while the Red Bull crew helped get Kvyat's car off track and back to the garage.
When the lights went out, it was Sebastian Vettel who stormed right by the two Mercedes drivers and his team-mate, Raikkonen, had no issue doing the same thing. Hamilton and Rosberg were quick to go after them, not wanting to waste any time.
On lap 18, Esteban Gutierrez and Fernando Alonso were involved in a high-speed collision. Alonso clipped the back of the Haas, which spent Gutierrez spinning nearly 3 times before resting in the gravel. However, for Alonso, it was a lot more than just a spin. His McLaren got airborne and flipped twice before crashing in pieces into the barrier. Gutierrez was quick on the radio to ask if Alonso was OK. Both drivers are OK and Alonso was able to crawl out from under the wrecked McLaren. Both drivers were checked at the on-site Medical Centre and passed checks before being released.
The race was red flagged for about 10-15 minutes while the track was cleaned up. Drivers got a chance to go into the pits, get out of their cars and change tyres if they wanted to. Rio Haryanto and Kimi Raikkonen were the next two cars to retire. Haryanto retired during the red flag period due to a driveline issue and Raikkonen due to his engine. Raikkonen had entered the pits later after the race had resumed and his airbox caught fire. He quickly jumped out but it was race over for him.
Marcus Ericsson recieved a drive-through-penalty for his crew working on his car past the 15-second-signal. However, it didn't matter much as he retired later in the race due to what is believed to be either a suspension or brake issue. He had reported feeling "Vibrations" in his back tyres during the race.
The Toro Rosso duo found themselves battling intensely with the renault of Jolyon Palmer and things got pretty heated. Verstappen had been running in a higher position earlier on, but the team had pitted Sainz first, despite him being further back. He then asked if the team would allow him to pass Sainz due to him being faster than his older team-mate, but he was denied this situation and the two ended up colliding just slightly. No major harm done, but tensions were running high.
Vettel lost out on the win and it was mostly due to a troubled pit-stop. He ended up chasing Hamilton down to try for 2nd, but with two laps left, Vettel spun out and ended up off track for a moment before he was able to get back into the race. He did finished 3rd and got Ferrari their first podium of 2016. Nico Rosberg won the race, just ahead of Hamilton. A good start for Mercedes as well.
Haas definitely had reason to celebrate. While Gutierrez was unable to finish the race, due to the collision, their other drivers, Romain Grosjean, was able to bring home 8 points by finishing in 6th place. A remarkable start for the new American team. And many more point finished to come undoubtedly. Also good news for Renault with both cars finishing the race. Although not in the points, they came very close.
RACE RESULTS:
1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 15 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / + 12 Points
5. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 10 Points
6. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 4 Points
9. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Spain / + 2 Points
10. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / Netherlands / + 1 Point
11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
12. Kevin Magnussen / Renault-Renault / Denmark
13. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
14. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain
15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
16. Pascal Wehrlein / Manor-Mercedes / Germany
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Suspension/Brakes?
RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Engine
RETIRED - Rio Haryanto / Manor-Mercedes / Indonesia / Driveline Issue
RETIRED - Esteban Gutierrez / Haas-Ferrari / Mexico / Collision
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Collision
DID NOT START - Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Russia / Electrical Issue
----
Article Written By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended
Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78
No comments:
Post a Comment