F1: McLaren draws first blood!

Winners do not rest on their laurels. Red Bull Racing (RBR), through their aerodynamic superiority and the driving prowess of Sebastian Vettel, has held F1 in a choke-hold in recent times. So rampant has been RBR’s dominance, it is now surprising when the team’s lead driver and his machine, is not on the front row of the grid!

F1 power-houses, for example, Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes, have been relegated to former champions and the embarrassment that the title introduces, possibly served as a significant motivating factor. So, forced to watch RBR sweep the F1 house clean and extract all the valuable silverware on offer, for the 2011 season, must have been a difficult pill to swallow.

With more than pride at stake, I am positive that the efforts in the workshops were re-doubled and each maanager was tasked with a single objective – Beat RBR!

Lewis Hamilton

Qualifying on Saturday, at Albert Park, in Melbourne Australia, must have served as pleasant reward for the countless hours spent chasing what was previously an elusive target – Sebastian Vettel and his machine. Lewis Hamilton aboard his McLaren Mercedes machine opened his 2012 account with a massive deposit. He took pole and his team-mate Jenson Button sunk the dagger deeper, by securing second on the grid, confirming a McLaren 1-2 and a lock-out of RBR from the front row!

Race day, did not see a return to P1 for RBR. Button switched the tables on his team mate at the start and kept it. Vettel’s forward motion ceased at P2 and Hamilton had to be comfortable with 3rd.

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2012 Australian GP

Button

Team McLaren must be celebrating without pause, as they should and Button, in my view, could not have asked for a better start to the 2012 season. But, winners do not rest on their laurels, so now that McLaren has drawn first blood, the war is now officiallly on. As fans, we rejoice and anticipate a pulsating Round 2 in Malaysia next weekend!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer