Mercedes may not have shown their full hand during the Australian Grand Prix, despite finishing first and second, according to Ted Kravitz. Ferrari, though, pushed them harder than expected throughout the race.
George Russell led Kimi Antonelli home for Mercedes’ first one-two since Las Vegas in 2024 and their first in a season opener since 2019. Russell also had an impressive qualifying session, finishing eight-tenths of a second clear of Isack Hadjar.
But with Ferrari using their much-discussed smaller turbo, Charles Leclerc jumped from fourth on the grid into the lead and traded places with Russell several times. In the end, it was Mercedes’ strategy that made the difference, but early signs suggest this season might not be as straightforward as some expected.
Mercedes may not have revealed full pace in Melbourne
Ted Kravitz believes Mercedes still have more to show after their 1-2 finish in Melbourne, despite Ferrari putting up a stronger fight than many expected.
Kravitz, speaking on the F1 Show, suggested Mercedes may not have been pushing flat out and hinted that their engine might not have been running at full power.
“The thing that we all thought was going to happen happened, which is that it was a Mercedes one-two,” he said. “They didn’t run away with it.
“Maybe they had their engine turned down, not quite sure. We haven’t seen their full performance quite yet. Handed an easier run by Ferrari, I think it’s fair to say.”
The win came after George Russell passed Charles Leclerc during the final round of pit stops and then held on late while struggling with worn tyres. Ferrari will take some encouragement from how close they stayed throughout the race.
What Bernie Collins took away from the Mercedes-Ferrari data at the Australian GP
While it’s unlikely Mercedes would ever put a win in jeopardy just to slow down their rivals’ progress, there are still reasons for them to play things cautiously. After all, even small strategic decisions can have a bigger impact over the course of a season.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Bernie Collins noted that while Mercedes looked stronger than expected in qualifying, race pace between them and Ferrari was much closer.
“We all suspected, going into the season, that Mercedes would be a step ahead,” she said. “In qualifying, the step was maybe more than we thought it would be.
“But in the race, even when they’re in free air, both sets of cars, their lap times were pretty consistent across both sets. Maybe Mercedes were managing; we don’t know. But very consistent lap times that seemed to suggest they were quite closely matched in the race.”
Ferrari’s quick getaways could also play a role this weekend. The Shanghai circuit is far more technical than Albert Park and should present different challenges for both teams’ new cars.
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