Damien Smith
RACING LINES
Alonso is in superb form – but it’s not enough to stay ahead of the Red Bulls
Debutant Ferrari took pole but was outraced by stalwart Toyota
Let’s look on the bright side: Fernando Alonso is surfing into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix on a wave of feelgood optimism as he chases a hat-trick of podium finishes with a buoyant Aston Martin team. The 41-yearold’s chipper start to the season is as good as it gets right now in Formula 1 because, beyond Aston’s refreshing leap in performance, it’s a stretch to put a positive spin on a championship that’s braced for an unprecedented level of one-team domination – despite all the graft put in to level up the playing field.
Let’s face it: if it hadn’t been for the driveshaft failure that left Max Verstappen 15th on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the champion would surely have won on the fast Jeddah Corniche circuit with barely a backward glance, such is the astonishing advantage that he has been gifted by Adrian Newey and his Red Bull engineers.