Despite winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari is still unsure whether it is ahead of Mercedes in terms of outright pace.
Sebastian Vettel vindicated pre-season excitement about Ferrari by winning in close race determined by a questionable strategy call for Mercedes when it decided to bring in Lewis Hamilton on the 18th lap, earlier than expected. . Ferrari capitalised by extending Vettel's opening stint and capitalising on clear air, emerging ahead of Hamilton and controlling the race from that point on.
Though Vettel was unchallenged after making his pit-stop, engineering chief Jock Clear, who joined from Mercedes ahead of the 2016 season, believes the way the race unfolded prevented a proper assessment to be made.