Why Ferrari's testing pace is looking like a false idol
Little more than a day into the Formula 1 season, expectations that Ferrari might take the fight to Mercedes already seem wide of the mark. How far ahead is Mercedes, and what else did the first day of practice in Melbourne reveal?
When Formula 1 left Barcelona behind and packed its freight off to Australia, Ferrari's electrifying testing pace suggested maybe, just maybe, Mercedes might face a genuine fight to retain its iron grip on the world championship in 2017.
Kimi Raikkonen set a scorching test pace, without even using the softest available tyre compound; Sebastian Vettel was so confident in his Ferrari that he felt he could afford to play mind games by deliberately lifting off the throttle on his quickest laps.
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