STORY OF THE DAY: A Lost Opportunity in Melbourne

Sebastian Vettel finished third in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, driving the number 5 Ferrari SF16-H. He led 34 of the 57 laps after an excellent start, but Nico Rosberg won the opening World Championship round ahead of Lewis Hamilton as Ferrari’s strategic advantage disappeared following a race stoppage.

Vettel surged past both Mercedes cars at the start and controlled the opening phase. A violent accident involving Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez brought out the red flag, allowing Mercedes to switch to durable medium tyres. Ferrari retained a more aggressive tyre choice for Vettel, requiring another stop, and a late mistake while pursuing Hamilton ended his remaining chance of second place.

The SF16-H combined a carbon-fibre composite chassis with Ferrari’s 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 hybrid power unit. Ferrari returned to push-rod front suspension and adopted tightly packaged bodywork intended to improve aerodynamic performance. The car was faster than its predecessor but did not achieve a Grand Prix victory.

German driver Vettel won four consecutive World Championships with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 before joining Ferrari in 2015. His first season in red produced three victories and renewed hopes of a title challenge. At Melbourne in 2016, his forceful start demonstrated his speed, even though strategy and circumstances prevented the win.