Formula One: Australian Grand Prix, Raceday Part 8
The race was heading into a nail-biting finish. Cars all round were pushing each other to the limit with obvious concern for the wearing out Pirellis – Were we in for some late drama in the form of more retirements?
The next lap saw Ferrari getting ready for Felipe Massa. Perez moved up to 7th position as a result. Massa swapped his hard tyres for soft ones – hoping for a final push and strong finish, perhaps.
Hamilton still looked in control in P-2 despite having to nurse his damaged under-tray. With a relatively cautious Hamilton, it appeared that Vettel’s fate was more or less in his own hands effectively.
Looking down the order, it had been stellar run for Vitaly Petrov as he continued to run in a safe 3rd position – Perhaps out-performing his far more experienced teammate Nick Heidfeld, who was back in 14th, was a further morale booster.
Meanwhile, while it looked to be a day to celebrate for youth, life for the Brazilian veteran, Rubens Barrichello, was proving to be a constant struggle. The Williams driver headed down pit lane for the fifth and final time on the day as he climbed out of his car soon after.
Taking the Brazilian front forward, Felipe Massa dropped to P-10 behind the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi. As the laps were drawing to a close, attention was on Hamilton’s damaged under-tray and whether it would be able to survive for the remainder of the race.
5 laps to go... Vettel continued to lead the field comfortably. Massa was trying to find a way back past Buemi for 9th spot. However, while it has often been a rather frustrating trait associated with Formula One where on-track overtaking hasn’t been plentiful compared to the Nascar series, the DRS was called into action yet again. Soon after, Massa was able to zoom past the Toro Rosso on the front stretch at turn 1 – Technology to the rescue?
However, while overtaking is generally considered good, for a Ferrari, desperately fighting for P-9 is a bit of a disappointment. Heading into this season, Massa’s future with the constructors was shrouded with increasing speculation. The Brazilian was often criticised for not being consistent enough to test the top 5. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, continues to get the best out of the Ferrari.
Continued in Part 9
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