2018 Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne, 22 -25 March

[Restomaniac]

Trying not to be too trigger happy, but that gap behind merc is making me anxious.....

Ferrari did have a habit in 2017 of struggling on Friday but then suddenly finding pace for the Saturday/Sunday.

[NathanOlder]

Bottas and the red bulls currently running in the 1.29's Hamilton the only one in the 1.28's

[Restomaniac]

McLaren far closer on a comparable tyre than I thought they would be.

[djos]

The lower onboard camera has been murdered by the halo but the transmission keeps showing it's corpse.

You mean this, right?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DY77d9PXcAAEKCi.jpg:large

God that's horrid! The FiA should be flogged for crimes against good taste!

[Fulcrum]

Pecking looks like:

Mercedes
...
Red Bull / Ferrari
...
Renault / McLaren / Haas (?)
...
Williams / Force India / Toro Rosso
...
Sauber

[JPBD1990]

Trying not to be too trigger happy, but that gap behind merc is making me anxious.....

Ferrari did have a habit in 2017 of struggling on Friday but then suddenly finding pace for the Saturday/Sunday.

Sky just made the point that this time last year the gap between Hamilton and Vettel was 1.2 seconds. This year it’s a second.

Like I said, tryyyying not to be trigger happy but I’m nervous. I really hope it’s an interesting season more than anything. I’m a Ferrari fan, but I’ll take redbull challenging Mercedes if necessary - as long as someone is!

[F1NAC]

also different compound. Ferrari didn't run on US yet

[Morteza]

[jk-27]

The lower onboard camera has been murdered by the halo but the transmission keeps showing it's corpse.

You mean this, right?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DY77d9PXcAAEKCi.jpg:large

That is a completely pointless camera angle. How can they think we want that?

The only onboard that lets you see what's ahead in the one on Bottas's car, which has the camera mounted above the halo. All the others, Hamilton, Riccardo are pointless, you see nothing but the halo.

[F1NAC]

So Kimi ran only softs? nice

[redmaxver]

McLaren far closer on a comparable tyre than I thought they would be.

Was thinking the same thing.

Looks like potential is there if they can sort themselves out, the mistakes are embarrassing but will be quickly forgotten if they can get a few decent* results.

* in and around top 10

[jk-27]

Surprising McLaren are in the top 10 given the exhaust issue. Even more surprising that they are ahead of Renault. And to top that off the Honda is only 1/100th of a second slower than Stoffel!

[Sevach]

Sky just made the point that this time last year the gap between Hamilton and Vettel was 1.2 seconds. This year it’s a second.

Like I said, tryyyying not to be trigger happy but I’m nervous. I really hope it’s an interesting season more than anything. I’m a Ferrari fan, but I’ll take redbull challenging Mercedes if necessary - as long as someone is!

Mercedes is strong but they ran 2 sets of US, Red Bull ran one early not when the track was getting faster.
Fastest lap by Ferrari was on softs.

We know Hamilton was running strat mode 1 (they talked on the radio).

[Dave P Fanclub]

Kimi's times on the softs looked very impressive to me. Not sure what the delta is on this track but to be within 0.85s on a tyre two steps harder than the Merc bodes pretty well. Obviously the usual caveats apply re. engine modes and fuel loads but not sure I necessarily agree with the sentiment that the Mercs are well clear.

[Moose]

Alonso's lap time is *really* encouraging. He set that on the Super Softs (compared to everyone except the Ferraris ahead of him being on Hyper Softs). There's some pace in that car... when it works.