Formula 1 season opener in Australia: Vettel close to victory

The first qualifying session of the Formula 1 season promises a lot of good things. For the first time in what feels like years, Vettel is close with Ferrari. For a long time it seemed impossible to crack the Silver Arrows. Now Sebastian Vettel on Ferrari has moved up to second place in qualifying in Melbourne, Australia, with a gap of just 0.268 seconds. Is the time of the unattainable Mercedes Silver Arrows over? It would be good for the excitement of Formula 1. In the past few years, Formula 1 has become boring; you didn't even have to turn on the TV anymore, you knew before the race that a Mercedes driver would be swinging through the air at the end. This dominance has made the world championship predictable and thus boring. Now it seems to be Ferrari's turn, and that gives courage for real battles and an exciting Formula 1 season where you don't know who will win it in the end. It became very clear during today's qualifying that it is now the drivers who make the difference and not the cars and their technology. This was particularly clear on pole. Ferrari has caught up with Mercedes, but the better drivers are putting in stronger performances, at Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, a true Formula 1 ace, and at Ferrari Sebastian Vettel, who is fighting for the world championship this season. After today's qualifying session, it's safe to say that his chances are intact.