6 Reasons You Should Undoubtedly Observe Formula one This Year

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Since we entered Formula 1’s 1.6-liter hybrid era in 2014, the fans have been compelled to suffer race after race of badly predictable results: a Mercedes will win, Max Verstappen will be quick, Ferrari will fuzz something up, and Fernando Alonso will say something funny.

The rules have switched for 2017, bringing enhanced downforce, 25-percent broader tires, and longer lasting compounds, which, when combined, are supposed to promote more grip, quicker times, and a better spectacle for the fans.

It’s hard to tell if the FIA has met its goals just yet, but there are certainly some encouraging signs after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Here are six reasons you should see F1 this year:

1. Ferrari is Back!

After Ferrari went winless during a blunder-filled two thousand sixteen season, Maranello has already made its way back to the top of the podium.

Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line ten seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, cracking a 28-race winless streak for the team. The victory gives Vettel twenty five points and the early lead in the two thousand seventeen World Driver’s Championship; with teammate Kimi Raikkonen coming home in fourth — and setting the fastest lap of the race — Ferrari now leads the Constructor’s championship for the very first time since 2012.

One last sign of encouragement: this is only the second-time Vettel has won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the very first time was in 2011, after which he went on to predominate the championship.

Two. Mercedes is Unhappy

For the very first time since the end of 2013, someone who does not drive for Mercedes is leading the championship. Following the race, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff played it cool, telling “We have been very fortunate in the last three years that we’ve won most of the races, now it is about accepting that Ferrari have hammered us.” But that wasn’t fairly the scene during the race when TV cameras captured Toto’s table smashing anger after Vettel overtook Hamilton on pitstop strategy.

Lewis Hamilton was also oddly on edge this weekend. After qualifying on pole Saturday, Lewis was playfully annoyed to hear Sebastian Vettel had been touching his car, while during the race, he was exasperated to find himself lacking grip and incapable to match Vettel’s rhythm. “I was fighting with grip from the get-go. Sebastian was able to always response me in terms of lap time and just go quicker.”

Trio. Max Verstappen

Despite this being Max Verstappen’s third season in a Formula one car, the Crimson Bull driver is still a teenager — and that should have his rivals very worried. “It was positive to see we weren’t that far-off Ferrari and Mercedes over a total race distance.”

With his fifth-place finish, Verstappen was the only Renault-backed driver to finish on the lead lap. It was a mature drive from the youthfull Dutchman and look for him get quicker as the RB13 improves via the season.

The FIA also determined to scrap the controversial “Verstappen Rule” for this season, which should leave Max free to do what Max does best.

Four. North America Came to Play

For the very first time since Jacques Villeneuve retired in 2006, the Formula one paddock features a presence from both North American nations.

Lance Stroll, a Canadian teenager, made a somewhat tumultuous embark to his Grand Prix career for Williams after a five-place penalty spotted him beginning from the latter half of the grid before a brake failure ended his day early.

“Some guys braked fairly early in front of me and I managed to build up some places, but then I had a vapid spot so had to stop early and, strategy-wise, we switched to a two-stop,” said Stroll. “Then we managed to have a remarkably good race. It was my very first race and very first weekend, so there are a few positives to take out of it.”

The Americans at Hass Racing made a difficult embark to their 2nd season in Formula one after both cars failed to finish. Romain Grosjean’s sixth-place qualifying spectacle was a team best, but it would end in heartbreak after he lost power and had to retire from seventh position. Teammate Kevin Magnussen was a non-factor after a first-lap incident that would lead to suspension failure later in the race.

Five. All Hail King Nando

Fernando Alonso resumes to be one of the most talented drivers to ever race in Formula 1, and unluckily, he’s coerced to prove it by dragging terrible cars into respectable positions. Alonso claims this year’s McLaren-Honda is some thirty km/h slower in a straight line, but somehow the Spanish savage was able to keep his MCL32 in the points for most of the afternoon until he was coerced to retire with a violated floor.

“With such little degradation from this year’s tires, it’s pleasant to be in the cockpit again. However, that enjoyment is less for us, because we are not fighting at the front,” quipped Alonso. “Our car is obviously not very competitive at the moment, so being able to keep the car in the points was a little surprising. At the end of the race, I had a problem that prevented me from completing the race.”

Despite his individual spectacle, Alonso hilariously called the McLaren a last-place car, shoveling shame on Honda’s still fighting race department.

6. So Many Fantastic Colors

This F1 season also features what is lightly the most colorful grid in several years. At one point, we were treated to a battle inbetween Alonso’s orange McLaren-Honda, Esteban Ocon’s pink Force India, and Nico Hulkenburg’s yellow Renault.

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