Certificate of maturity: The protagonists of Melbourne

FERRARI: It was a short journey for the Scuderia from top favorite to idiot. What had been indicated in training on Friday continued over the weekend: Ferrari was unable to get the potential out of its undoubtedly good car in Melbourne. Instead of fighting for victory with the Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel dragged his SF90 to the finish line in fourth place - and was also beaten by a Red Bull. So no victory bells in Maranello, more alarm bells, because Ferrari has a problem: The Italians don't know the reason for this failure. And if this is not identified, there is no improvement in sight. But if a flash of inspiration follows in the days after Australia, then things can happen very quickly and look different in Bahrain. Because the SF90 is a very strong basis, as the tests in Barcelona showed.

VALTTERI BOTTAS: A winter at home, training in the snow, the announcement to get tougher, plus a new beard - Valtteri Bottas' preparation for the season was, at least at first glance, a little too cliché, sounded a little too much like Rocky IV After the first race, however, the suspicion is obvious: the racing driver Bottas has really changed his approach. This is not only shown by the strong performance on Sunday, because the “old” Bottas has already won races. Above all, his handling of the victory and his outburst towards his critics showed that Bottas is more determined than ever and still carries a lot of anger about his past defeats.

Valtteri Bottas celebrates himself and his opening victory © APA/afp / WILLIAM WEST

MERCEDES: A few weeks ago you almost had to feel sorry for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows obviously had problems with their new car; during the tests there was even speculation that the team was only the third force behind Ferrari and Red Bull. And then the world champions did what world champions do: they found the errors, they solved them the problems, and they came to Melbourne well prepared. Now Mercedes is in a remarkable situation: you don't just have a strong car and a Lewis Hamilton who is always world champion. Apparently Bottas, the second driver, is also willing and able to take on the title fight.

RED BULL: It was a good start to this marriage. Red Bull and its new engine partner Honda finished third in their first appearance together; it was the Japanese's first podium in the new hybrid engine era. And Max Verstappen was so fast that he could almost have attacked Mercedes after Vettel. The Dutchman pointed out that there is still a gap to Mercedes and Ferrari in terms of performance. But Red Bull always has a very good car - if the engine is no longer a limiting factor, as the Renault drive often was recently, then the team can achieve a lot this year. In this scene, Max Verstappen (r.) leaves Sebastian Vettel behind. © AP / Andy Brownbill

ROBERT KUBICA: Robert Kubica can probably no longer see the color blue for the time being. The marshals waved this flag with great regularity to warn the Pole that he was being lapped again. The comeback to Formula 1 after eight years was a frustrating affair, but it is actually a great story. After his rally accident in 2011, the mobility of Kubica's right arm was severely limited, but he still made it back into the premier class. His lack of chances in Melbourne was largely due to the fact that the Williams car is not competitive. However, Kubica's appearance could not (yet) dispel doubts as to whether he is physically capable of driving as a regular driver in Formula 1.

SAYING OF THE WEEKEND: “To everyone who feels addressed: F.... you!” (Valtteri Bottas after his victory in Melbourne. The Mercedes driver had had a season without a win and felt unfairly judged.)

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Certificate of maturity: The protagonists of Melbourne

The start has been made: With the first race of the season in Australia, our maturity certificate section starts again, in which we take a closer look at the main actors of the Formula 1 weekend.

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