Will McLaren crush the opposition in China?
McLaren confirmed its status as the clear favourite with what should have been a 1-2 in Melbourne. The changing conditions on Sunday made it difficult to get a good read on the real gap, but the almost four-tenths of a second advantage over Red Bull's Max Verstappen in qualifying tells at least something. One could argue that Albert Park hasn't historically been Red Bull's best track (just two wins in eight title years) and that Ferrari is yet to exploit the full potential of the SF-25, as Charles Leclerc pointed out.
Nevertheless, the Shanghai International Circuit should be good for McLaren.
Championship leader Lando Norris said: "I am confident that when we go to China next weekend we can be very strong because we were strong there last year with not a very good car."
The McLaren driver finished second in China last season, 13 seconds behind Verstappen, and that was before the major upgrade in Miami. Last year's result underlines that the circuit, with its long-radius corners and a lot of stress on the front tyres, could suit both McLaren and Red Bull, making it an interesting test. However, the sprint format with only one practice session could still make it difficult to get a clear picture.
- Ronald Vording
Is Ferrari out of contention for race wins?
Not yet! Despite the poor result in Melbourne, there is nothing to suggest that at the moment. Certainly, the outcome of the first weekend in Australia falls short of Ferrari's own initial expectations, but on Friday the SF-25 showed signs of promise. It was well balanced, strong in the slow corners and allowed Leclerc to push on corner entries. Ferrari wasn't quick enough to fight for victory, but a podium finish was possible.
The real surprise was the step backwards between Friday and Saturday, when Ferrari couldn't maintain its form. The car suddenly began to overheat and couldn't cope with the increased grip. The gap that has emerged, both in qualifying and in the race, is worrying.
If the team's ambition is to fight at the front of the field, the Scuderia will need to understand quickly what didn't work in Australia and whether the problems were specific to Melbourne or to the package itself.
- Gianluca d’Alessandro
Will Williams and Racing Bulls maintain their pace?
Williams was one of the surprises of the Bahrain test, earning praise from McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who even suggested that the leading pack was no longer a closed club for McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Alex Albon's strong weekend in Melbourne could be seen as confirmation that the Italian is not too far off with his assessment. The Williams driver outqualified both Ferraris and finished a strong fifth, confirming the progress his team has made over the winter.
Racing Bulls left Australia empty-handed, but that shouldn't distract from the fact that Yuki Tsunoda was also on course for a big result on Sunday - and only the team's decision not to pit the Japanese driver when the rain intensified cost him some good points, as he was ahead of Albon.
Whether they can still challenge the big teams remains a question mark for the time being - but we may get some answers in Shanghai.
- Oleg Karpov
Can Lawson bounce back?
Along with some of his fellow rookies, Melbourne provided Liam Lawson with a tough start to the F1 season. The Red Bull driver admitted he was "too slow" on Friday and suffered a PU problem on Saturday before getting knocked out of Q1. Sunday's race didn't go much better, as he was stuck outside the points and crashed as the rain started to fall. Team boss Christian Horner didn't want to judge his rookie too harshly, saying that Red Bull "took the risk" by running Lawson on slicks.
But it does raise the question of whether this is further proof of how difficult it is to share a garage with Max Verstappen and how tricky the Red Bull car could be for any other driver. Lawson dismissed that thought, saying he was "stupid" in qualifying and that the weekend as a whole "just sucked". China offers an opportunity for quick revenge, but there are two things to bear in mind: it's another track that Lawson hasn't raced on, and the lack of practice time could be a complicating factor. Maybe we just need to be a little more patient...
- Ronald Vording
Was Haas' dreadful performance in Melbourne a one-off?
If there's one team that had every reason to be seriously concerned about its form after Melbourne, it's Haas. The car was slow all weekend, with one-lap pace the biggest headache at the moment. Yes, Oliver Bearman didn't make things any easier for his team with two unnecessary incidents in the build-up to the main sessions - but Esteban Ocon also failed to squeeze any potential out of his VF-25.
So if you want to bet on which team will finish last in this year's constructors' championship, your best guess is definitely Haas. Can it improve in China?
- Oleg Karpov
