Bottas: Mercedes not Clear of Pack

They had undeniable pace in Melbourne but Mercedes couldn't take the first victory of the year at Albert Park.

Valtteri Bottas has rebuffed claims that Mercedes have a clear advantage over the rest of the field. The Finn, who finished 8th in Australia after a crash in qualifying, denied the claims of many that the Silver Arrows were already far ahead of their competition and that they were in for a difficult season fighting for the championship.

"It seems very close. Ferrari obviously won, they were first and third, but they also won here last year," he said.

"I think it’s going to be a close season. We’re not miles ahead. I think Lewis really got everything right in Q3, maybe the other teams' drivers didn’t get everything perfect.

"So I think it’s going to be a big battle and it’s going to be a tough season."

Teammate Lewis Hamilton looked nailed on to pick up the first victory of the 2018 season until an error from the Mercedes team during the virtual safety car meant Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel rejoined after his one and only pitstop of the race in the lead.

The reigning champion was unable to find a way past Vettel after the restart, eventually making an error and backing off to save his engine in the closing stages.

Bottas also commented on the closer midfield battle this year after multiple teams showed they had pace in winter testing and over the opening weekend.

"Definitely the pace of all the teams is much closer," Bottas said.

"I also think that this year, the cars have more downforce, and with the way the aerodynamics work in the cars, it’s even more difficult to follow than last year, so the losses are bigger."