Pirelli F1 Australian Grand Prix race review 26.03.2017: 2017 Australian Grand Prix, Race - Vettel claims victory for Ferrari with a one-stop strategy as Formula

2017 Australian Grand Prix, Race





- Vettel claims victory for Ferrari with a one-stop strategy as Formula 1's new era makes a spectacular star


- Identical ultrasoft-soft strategy for top four finishers


- Four other different strategies used to finish the race


- Low wear and degradation allows drivers to push hard from the start to finish of every stint





Sebastian Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari by completing a longer opening stint on the ultrasoft tyre than polesitter Lewis Hamilton, then emerging in front of the Mercedes after his sole pit stop.



All the finishers apart from two stopped once, with the top four using an ultrasoft-soft strategy.


All three compounds were used in the race, with the fastest lap – set right at the end of the race – more than two seconds quicker than last year.



 Most drivers started on the ultrasoft, with Sauber’s Formula 1 debutant Antonio Giovinazzi the highest placed finisher to start on the soft.




MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR RACING


“Formula 1’s new era made a fantastic start in Australia, with close racing and the drivers able to push hard from the start to the finish of each stint.


As we expected most drivers adopted different variations of a one-stop strategy, with the leaders moving onto the soft for the second stint in order to be certain of running to the end.


There was low wear and degradation on a circuit that is never particularly hard on tyres anyway, with the drivers able to set fastest laps at the very end of the race on the soft compound that was more than 30 laps old.”



LONGEST STINT OF THE RACE

Raikkonen 1m26.538s
Verstappen 1m26.964s
Kvyat 1m26.711s
Bottas 1m26.593s
Kvyat 1m27.983s
Magnussen 1m27.568s
Vettel 1m26.638s
Massa 1m28.045s
Hamilton 1m28.117s






COMPOUND DRIVER

LAPS SOFT

Vandoorne 46

SUPERSOFT

Magnussen43

ULTRASOFT

Kvyat 34




TRUTHOMETER

Sebastian Vettel won the race using one pit stop, going from ultrasoft to soft on lap 23.  We initially thought that many drivers might use supersoft for the second stint: the highest-placed driver to do that was Max Verstappen in fifth.

Anthony Peacock - photo Pirelli