Valtteri Bottas admits Ferrari was simply too quick for Mercedes as Sebastian Vettel claimed victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Finn impressed on his race debut with Mercedes as he recorded the 10th podium finish of his career, just 1.3s behind teammate Lewis Hamilton. While Bottas was pleased to take his first rostrum appearance with the Silver Arrows, he concedes the reigning world champions has a fight on its hands to catch Ferrari, with Vettel finishing over 10s clear of Hamilton.
"Obviously it was first race with the team and I really want to thank everyone," Bottas said.