No Shanghai surprise but Ferrari confirm challenge as Formula One heats up

Lewis Hamilton may have taken the spoils in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix but Sebastian Vettel’s second-place finish provided clear evidence that Ferrari appear more than capable of taking the fight to the Briton’s Mercedes team.Vettel sprung something of a surprise when he won last month’s season opener in Australia and despite racing on a vastly different layout in much cooler weather, there was little to choose between the pair for the second weekend in a row.The results in Melbourne and Shanghai have raised hopes that the early-season rivalry between a duo with seven Formula One championships between them and locked on 43 points apiece in the overall standings, could become a full-blown title duel.The China performance in particular also erased any lingering doubts about the championship credentials of the sport’s most successful team, for whom the season-opening triumph marked a welcome return to form after a winless 2016.“On a track and in conditions which were very different from those we had in Melbourne, we proved that we have a strong car,” Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said.Ferrari have looked competitive since pre-season testing and there was very little to choose between Germany’s Vettel and Hamilton in terms of pace and performance throughout the Shanghai weekend.Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda went so far as to suggest that Vettel had the speed to seize Ferrari’s first pole position since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2015 but Hamilton did just enough in qualifying to secure top spot.“The explanation is that Ferrari grew up in the Barcelona tests, won the first race and is still on the way up,” said the 68-year-old Austrian, a three times Formula One world champion.The outcome of the race could also have been different had Vettel’s gamble to pit under the virtual safety car on the opening lap not been undermined when the actual safety car was deployed following crash a few laps later.The strategy left him bottled up behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen, but the four-times champion was able to match Hamilton lap for lap once he found a way past the cars in his path.“In the mixed conditions it felt like we were the quickest, we were the quickest, man,” the 29-year-old enthused to his team over the radio. “Couldn’t prove that but next time we will.”Mercedes, who have swept to a hat-trick of both driver and constructor titles over the last three years, are certainly feeling the heat from their Italian rivals. “I hope they’re feeling the spirit,” triple champion Hamilton said after Sunday’s race, referring to his team.“I hope they’re feeling the fight... because it’s on.”‘Young dude’ Verstappen ready for desert dust-upLewis Hamilton boldly christened himself ‘brave warrior’ after winning the Chinese Grand Prix but the three-time world champion will have more than just title rival Sebastian Vettel to contend with this week in Bahrain.As Hamilton celebrated a third Shanghai victory in four years with his Mercedes team, he unveiled a new tattoo on the left side of his ribcage bearing the Chinese characters “Brave Warrior” and “Love”.But the Briton’s thunder had already been stolen by a jaw-dropping drive from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third behind Ferrari’s Vettel after starting near the back of the grid.The 19-year-old Dutchman began in 16th after an engine misfire in qualifying and tore past nine cars on the first lap alone, suggesting fears that the sport’s new rules had made overtaking harder were premature. Both Hamilton and Vettel, who himself produced two breath-taking passes, will be casting nervous looks in their rear-view mirrors at Verstappen.“He is right up there with all the best drivers,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who noted that Verstappen’s odds of reaching the podium after qualifying stood at 33-1. “If it had not been insider trading, I’d have had a flutter. Max has a sixth sense in the wet. He is fearless. He explores all the boundaries of the track to find where the grip is.”Verstappen’s aggressive approach has quickly made him a fan favourite and he has been compared with Formula One great Ayrton Senna, particularly after a seat-of-the-pants drive in Brazil last year when he stormed to third in pouring rain.By the same token, he has ruffled feathers since making his F1 debut two years ago at just 17 with Ferrari’s Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both letting rip. But Hamilton, who recognises a kindred spirit in Verstappen, retorted: “This young dude has been a real breath of fresh air for everyone.” Wider cars and fatter tyres were supposed to make overtaking a dying art, but Verstappen and Vettel went some way to exploding that myth in China.On a track still slick after morning drizzle, Verstappen pulled off an audacious piece of skill to pass Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, braking late to lunge inside on turn six.Equally as impressive were Vettel’s pass on Raikkonen after early frustration, and his wheel-to-wheel clash in overtaking Ricciardo, which recalled the days before one team dominated the sport.Mercedes have enjoyed a stranglehold over Formula One for the past three years, the German team winning all but two races in 2016.Before that, Vettel won four successive titles with Red Bull on a streak so monotonous he was repeatedly booed on the podium. But Formula One suddenly has a title race with Vettel and Hamilton heading to Bahrain tied on 43 points after the German’s stunning victory in the season opener in Australia.Verstappen is placed third on 25, with Valtteri Bottas on 23 for Mercedes, Raikkonen on 22 and Ricciardo 12, adding spice to this week’s dust-up in the desert.