1 DNF in Melbourne capped a frustrating start
If there was any talk of one team walking away with the Formula 1 World Championship when the paddock made the long trip back from Australia it was all surrounding Ferrari – as you will recall.
And that’s not an overstatement; it was exactly the fear after Charles Leclerc had won two of the first three races, both from pole position, finished second in the other and set the fastest lap in all three. Allied to that strong start were Red Bull reliability concerns.
Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez had dropped out late on in Bahrain due to a fuel system issue that it was not able to find an instant fix for, but Melbourne was perhaps even more painful. Unable to match Leclerc’s performance in either qualifying or the race itself, Verstappen was settling for second when another fuel problem ended his afternoon early.
Red Bull was well and truly on the back foot and Verstappen was frustrated, saying at the time: “These kinds of things, if you want to fight for the title, they cannot happen.”
The words were heeded. A two-week break followed and Red Bull took full advantage to make its car as close to bulletproof as possible. Verstappen would not suffer another
