Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne heaped praise on his team for its Australian Grand Prix victory, but cautioned that the squad still has work to undertake in order to realise its title ambition.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton controlled the opening part of the race from pole, as Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel slotted into second and third, as per their grid positions.
Hamilton and Raikkonen pitted as expected, but Vettel extended his first stint, which proved fruitful when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
Vettel was able to pit under the VSC, minimising the time loss, because the speed difference between the pit lane limit and cars on track is lower than usual.
As a result, and allied to Mercedes’ miscalculation over the time differences, Vettel emerged from his stop ahead of Hamilton, and their positions remained unchanged through to the chequered flag.
It meant Vettel secured back-to-back Australian Grand Prix victories, while Raikkonen’s podium gave Ferrari its biggest points haul from the opening round of a year since 2010.
“There could have been no better start for Ferrari in this championship,” said Marchionne.
“Listening to Italy’s national anthem echo around Melbourne was an emotional moment for us all, and for every fan of the Scuderia.
“It’s the best possible reward for the team, which built a competitive car and used a perfect strategy to take advantage of the way the race evolved.
“Congratulations to Sebastian and Kimi, both drove a great race.
“Of course there’s still a long way to go in the series, with 20 more Grands Prix.
“So it would be wrong to celebrate too much. We know that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the first step has been taken in the right direction.”
Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene added: “We have picked up a significant number of points in both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships.
“There is still a long way to go this season, but we can be happy, knowing that each and every one of us has done their very best, according to his role, to achieve this result.”
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