Vettel/Hamilton relish prospect of title fight

The 29-year-old German beat the pre-race favourite by nearly 10 seconds, positioning Ferrari to challenge the dominance of Mercedes.

Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene has stressed that Ferrari must stay focused after Sebastian Vettel gave them victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Vettel and Ferrari underlined their impressive pre-season performance with a fine display in Melbourne to lay claim to the early title initiative after the first round of the new campaign. “It’s great to see people smiling”, said Vettel.

“We expected Bottas in a new auto, with a new team, with the help of the team that he would get quicker”.

“I haven’t had many races up against Sebastian but we’ve always had a respectful relationship”, he said.

“I have great respect for Lewis – he’s proven to be one of the quickest drivers on the grid, very talented but also working hard”.

With regulations created to make the 2017 F1 cars faster wider tires, greater aerodynamics, bigger fuel loads and increased downforce Vettel’s victory underlined the huge leap in performance made by the glamour team, whose cars showed impressive pace and reliability in winter testing.

“Then for me, for sure we had the right choice, which was always Bottas, he was number one in the list”.

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have won seven of the last nine Formula One drivers’ titles between them and are both excited by the prospect of a titanic duel for supremacy in 2017.

“I’m really grateful to have that fight with him, against Ferrari”.

“We have been very fortunate in the last three years that we have won majority”.

“Every year you try to improve but I would say I have taken a good step this year”.

If Hamilton, victor of 10 races a year ago, was disappointed not to make a winning start to the campaign, the Briton also sounded enthused by the new challenge. “I am delighted for the team and for our tifosi who stood by us throughout this whole period”. “He was relatively close”, Hamilton said. Mercedes was hoping to overtake Vettel’s Ferrari when he made his first pit stop.

Hamitlon admitted that the 2017 championship race was wide open, welcoming a season long battle with Ferrari and Vettel. “I’m excited to watch it, first time in 11 years now in front of the TV, so that’s a massive different experience”. Towards the end I got a bit in traffic and overheated the tires and was struggling with grip, so it was to the point that I needed to come in. “But I want to win the world championship more than ever before, and while you would think the hunger could not be any more it has frickin doubled”.