Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes has a real race on its hands after finishing second, behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.
The British driver lined up on pole position after a record-breaking qualifying lap, and led away at the start.
But Vettel stuck with him through the opening stint as Hamilton struggled with his Ultra Soft tyres, complaining about a lack of grid, and Mercedes pitted him for Soft tyres, as Ferrari kept Vettel out on track.
Traffic, in the form of the yet-to-pit Max Verstappen, cost Hamilton time and Vettel put in some quick laps before stopping for fresh tyres to emerge narrowly ahead, going on to win by 10 seconds.
“A big congratulations to Sebastian and Ferrari,” Hamilton said afterwards. “I know this win has been a long time coming for them.
“This shows we've got a real race on our hands this season and it's a challenge we will relish. It's going to be great for the fans.
Gallery: Check out the best photos from the Australian Grand Prix
“We had a really good start which is fantastic. It was nice to get a good getaway. But I was struggling with grip from the get-go.
“Sebastian was able to always answer me in terms of lap time and just go quicker. Towards the end of the first stint I caught some traffic and that overheated the tyres.
“I struggled for grip to the point where I needed to come in, plus the gap was closing up and I was sliding around a lot.
“We made the call to pit, because otherwise I think Sebastian would have come past me anyway. After my stop I got caught in some traffic which was unfortunate but that's motor racing.”
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