Australian F1 Grand Prix 2017 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights, Reaction

Sebastian Vettel took the win in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, the first race of the 2017 Formula One season.

Ferrari outsmarted Mercedes in Melbourne, grabbing the lead from Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane and never relinquishing it. Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished in third place, ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

The latter's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo struggled with electrical issues throughout the race and retired, as did both Haas drivers. 

Here's a look at the results from Sunday's race:

The standings after the first grand prix of the season look like this:

POS	DRIVER	NATIONALITY	CAR	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	25
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	18
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	15
4	Kimi Raikkonen	FIN	Ferrari	12
5	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	10
6	Felipe Massa	BRA	Williams	8
7	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	6
8	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Toro Rosso	4
9	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	Toro Rosso	2
10	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	1

Recap

There was plenty of drama before the race even started, as Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat almost couldn't leave the grid due to an empty fire extinguisher and home favourite Ricciardo faced a serious electrical issue.

The Australian missed the two formation laps but somehow made it out onto the track with just a minor deficit, per BBC 5 Live's Jennie Gow:

Hamilton had a smooth start and held the lead into the first corner, while Sauber's Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen of Haas collided further down the back. The latter suffered a puncture as a result.

Vettel kept Hamilton close in the opening stages and built a lead over Bottas, a good sign for Ferrari after their slower pace in practice. Hamilton comfortably stayed ahead of his rival, however.

Eighteen-year-old Williams debutant Lance Stroll and McLaren's Fernando Alonso impressed in the background, while the Spaniard's team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne had to make an early stop as he lacked power.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Just 11 laps into the race, Hamilton contacted the pit crew to complain of too much heat into the tyres, while Renault's Jolyon Palmer faced even bigger problems. Romain Grosjean was the first man to drop out of the race, steering his smoking Haas into the pit lane in time.

Hamilton made his first stop to move onto the soft compound after 17 laps, with Vettel staying out on track. The Englishman soon closed in on Verstappen, who had moved into second, but to the frustration of Mercedes the young Dutchman held his ground.

Per BBC 5 Live Sport, Mercedes warned Hamilton he had to make his move quickly:

Vettel didn't pit until Lap 25, and Ferrari's decision paid off in a big way, as the German emerged back on track ahead of both Verstappen and Hamilton.

By the time the situation at the front cleared up, Vettel led Hamilton by over three seconds, and the latter complained to his engineers of a lack of grip over the radio. Further back, Ricciardo admitted defeat, per F1's official Twitter account:

Bottas closed the gap to Hamilton while Verstappen left the pit lane on supersofts, setting up another intriguing tactical battle. Instead of closing in on Vettel, Hamilton effectively had to start looking over his shoulder for his team-mate.

With 10 laps to go, Vettel kept Hamilton at bay. As shared by NBC Sports' Luke Smith, there was a simple explanation:

Magnussen joined team-mate Grosjean on the sidelines with eight laps to race, becoming the sixth driver to drop out. Alonso also retired before the end.

Esteban Ocon of Force India moved ahead of his rivals in the battle for the final point while Vettel posted a fastest lap time of 1:26.638 with the race winding down. The four-time world champion was never really threatened, taking his first win of the season and the top spot in the standings.

Per F1's official Twitter account, Hamilton blamed Mercedes' tyres for the struggles:

Vettel was in awe of the work the Ferrari crew put in:

It's a superb result for Ferrari who came into the opening race with great expectations after a solid showing in pre-season. Mercedes have dominated F1 for the last three years, and Hamilton's power issues are a major cause for concern after one race. Even at full tilt, the Silver Bullets weren't significantly faster than Ferrari.

The second grand prix of the season will take place in China, on April 9.