Formula 1 racing is off to start the 2019 season with the Australian Grand Prix. In what was a terrific race, there are lots of story lines, but first, on with the Rich Energy Haas F1 Team.
Kevin Magnussen started the race in the 7th position and finished 6th, earning 8 points for both the team and himself.
Grosjean had a monster qualifying round and started ahead of his teammate in 6th position. Like 2018, the day was aligning up for a big points total for the Haas squad. But again like 2018, lightning struck again. Grosjean pitted on lap 16, and the car was delayed on the stop due to problems with the left front tire. It was odd when 16 laps later, lap 32, that Grosjean retired from the race with a loose left front wheel… his right front wheel came off and needed to be re-tired!!! But I say odd because replay indicates no problems with that left front tire for the sixteen laps following the pit stop. Onboard footage of Grosjean’s lap 27 pass of the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi clearly indicates that the left front wheel is still attached and spinning perfectly. The wheel nuts are designed to either lock, but a failed or mis-installed wheel nut usually become immediately apparent. Odd that it took Grosjean’s left front wheel three laps to come loose.
The pendulum of good fortune swung in Magnussen’s direction when he pitted. His primary concern was re-entering the race on lap 15 after the pit ahead of his Renault competitor Nico Hulkenberg, and he did. It was a key moment in KMags race, and the team pulled it off. Magnussen ended up back in 6th position after Grosjean’s retirement, and only lost that position after his pitstop as cars ahead of him extended out their first pit stops.
So for Haas it was a great score of 8 points, but it should have been 14. But one thing for sure, The Rich Energy Haas F1 Team is fast…. Faster than the entire F1.5 field so far.
Aside from the Haas team, there were other story lines worth mentioning.
Valtteri Bottas dominated the day for both his team and the field. Bottas emerged into 2019 much more focused and determined than where he left off in 2018. There were reports of Valtteri doing some serious soul-searching over the off-season, and it was apparent, straight away. His demeanor was much more focused. There is no other way to put it but, he seemed a bit less nice to his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Last year he saw Lewis as his teammate first. This year Bottas seems to be looking at Hamilton a bit more as a competitor first, and teammate second.
But Bottas was brilliant all day. Lewis Hamilton started on pole, and Bottas lined up in the second position. It was an all Mercedes front row. Bottas was ahead of his teammate by the time he exited turn 1, and never looked back. Bottas was taking his Silver Arrow to the limit, and the 5 time world champion Lewis Hamilton, in equal equipment, could not catch him all day. The teammates’ composure after the race was also telling. Bottas spoke with a sincere sense of possibility, while Hamilton was clearly looking for answers. 2019 may be the year we see another Finnish F1 Champion… if he keeps this up. But it’s a long season.
The big story for the local F1 fans in Australia was Daniel Ricciardo’s first appearance with Renault F1. His day was done before turn 1.
Ricciardo started the race in P12, one spot behind his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. During the sprint for turn 1 at the start of the race, Ricciardo took the inside line. He got a bit squeezed and was forced into the grass. His front wing caught some grass and was completely destroyed. It broke off of his car and flew away. Luckily his car was not broken otherwise, so he pitted ad received a new front wing. Unfortunately he re-entered the race at the back of the pack. Ricciardo ended up retiring from the race in lap 31, the third retirement from his home grand prix.
I have to wonder what Ricciardo was thinking when he left Red Bull. He had terrible reliability issues last year at Red Bull with that Renault engine. This year Renault is using Honda engines. So what does Ricciardo do? He moves to Renault? I expected Renault to compete for the front last year, and they did not. What did Ricciardo see which encouraged him? I’m not sure…. Sometimes that change of scenery seems like a good thing at the time. Regardless… his Red Bull replacement driver, Pierre Gasly is not proving to be a threat to Haas, so all is good with the world.
So that is it for week 1 in the 2019 Formula 1 season. It looks like the Haas car is very fast and clearly the favorite for the mid pack race… 4th position in the constructors championship is realistic. If Grosjean can get a clean race under his belt the team will be hard to beat!!!
Great job Rich Energy Haas F1 Team! See you in Bahrain!