Formula 1: Mid-pack battle loaded with intensity, parity in 2019 season opener

In the 2019 Formula 1 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, the mid-pack battle could not possibly have been more intense, and it could not possibly have featured more parity.

While the 20.886-second margin of victory by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Valtteri Bottas over teammate Lewis Hamilton in second place to open up the 21-race 2019 Formula 1 season in the Australian Grand Prix was the largest margin of victory since Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg finished 25.022 seconds ahead of Hamilton in second in the 2016 Russian Grand Prix, there was no shortage of action and parity in the mid-pack battle.

The 10 drivers who finished the 58-lap race around the 16-turn, 3.296-mile (5.304-kilometer) Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit road course in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia in the top 10 represented a total of eight teams.

This is a huge contrast to last year’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which resulted in five sets of teammates finishing in the top 10 and five other sets of teammates failing to do so.

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Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and Scuderia Ferrari, two of the sport’s three top-tier teams, were the only two teams that had both of their drivers finish the race in the top 10. Bottas and Hamilton finished in first and second place, respectively, while Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen finished in third place. Rounding out the top 10 were Rich Energy Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, Alfa Romeo Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen, SportPesa Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat in sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.

What makes this more impressive is the fact that the five drivers who rounded out the top 10 from sixth to 10th place were running fairly close together, although Magnussen did separate himself from Hulkenberg as the laps wound down.

Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Stroll and Kvyat effectively formed a four-car train toward the end of the race, but none of them could pass one another. While this may not seem like anything worth noting, the fact that they kept Red Bull Racing’s Pierre Gasly out of the top 10 certainly is. Gasly could not get around any of them and had to settle for a disappointing 11th place finish in his debut for the Milton Keynes-based team.

The only two teams that did not have either of their drivers score points in this race were McLaren and ROKiT Williams Racing. McLaren rookie Lando Norris finished in 12th place while Carlos Sainz Jr. was forced to retire and relegated to a 20th place finish due to a mechanical failure that led to a fire.

Meanwhile, Williams Racing teammates George Russell, a rookie, and Robert Kubica finished in 16th and 17th, respectively, as the two lowest finishing drivers among the drivers who actually finished the race.

On a side note, the Grove-based team’s two drivers were well off the pace throughout the entirety of the race weekend, and there is absolutely no reason that they will finish ahead of any other drivers in any races this season except when other drivers are forced to retire from races, so regarding parity, don’t expect them to be a part of that discussion at any point in the near future.

What makes this intense mid-pack battle even more intense is the fact that none of the five non-Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull Racing teams that had one of their drivers finish the race in the top 10 were able to separate themselves in terms of their average finishes among their two drivers.

Haas’ other driver, Romain Grosjean, was forced to retire with a wheel issue. As a result, he was relegated to an 18th place finish, giving the team an average finish of 12.0 in the race. Renault’s other driver, Daniel Ricciardo, was forced to retire with a mechanical issue. As a result, he was relegated to a 19th place finish, giving the team an average finish of 13.0 in the race.

Alfa Romeo Racing’s other driver, rookie Antonio Giovinazzi, finished in 15th place, giving the team an average finish of 11.5 in the race. Racing Point’s other driver, Sergio Perez, finished in 13th, giving the team an average finish of 11.0 in the race. Toro Rosso’s other driver, rookie Alexander Albon, finished in 14th, giving the team an average finish of 12.0 in the race.

The bottom line is that there is no clear “best of the rest” following the 2019 season opener. While Haas appear to be the early favorite given the strength of Magnussen throughout the race and of Grosjean before he was forced to retire, the sport’s lone American team had the speed to record double top five finish in last year’s Australian Grand Prix as well before wheel issues prevented that from being the case.

Haas ended up finishing behind Renault in fifth place the constructor standings last season, and they would have finished behind Racing Point in sixth as well had the team not forfeited their points following the season’s 12th race when they were renamed from Sahara Force India.

The battle for the “best of the rest” title among the majority of the non-Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing constructors was loaded with intensity and parity in the 2019 Formula 1 season opener, and there is no reason to believe that this will change as the 21-race season progresses over the course of the next eight-plus months.