Sebastian Vettel Untouchable in an Otherwise Forgettable Melbourne Grand Prix

Not with a bang, but with a whimper.

That’s how the much-anticipated 2011 Formula 1 season got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. Except for Nico Rosberg, of course.

Sebastian Vettel picked up where he left off last year by strolling to victory in the Adrian Newey's untouchable Red Bull RB7. In doing so, Vettel struck fear into the hearts of teams all along pit lane.

While no one was surprised by the victory—particularly in light of Vettel’s qualifying domination—the ease of the win must have raised a few eyebrows.

Impressive though Vettel was, the prize for biggest shock of the day must go to Vitaly Petrov, who carried the Renault to a highly unexpected podium finish.

We can only imagine what Robert Kubica could have accomplished.

The rest, however, was a disappointment.

Ferrari were struggling, Jenson Button was comprehensively outperformed by Lewis Hamilton nursing a wounded McLaren.

Button outperformed himself by cutting a corner to pass Felipe Massa and refused to yield the place back to the Brazilian, earning a drive-through penalty for his troubles.

Mark Webber was left battling tyre problems and parked his car as soon as he crossed the finish line, indicating that he was having mechanical problems with his RB7.

Mercedes GP failed to deliver despite promising offseason performances. Rubens Barrichello must have still been in Christmas mode as he speared into Rosberg in a ridiculous move to add further insult to Mercedes’ misery.

Most disappointing of all was the much-vaunted Drag Reduction System.

In its defence, Melbourne may not have been the ideal track on which to judge it, but it’s intriguing to see that a car that did not use the system once—and didn’t even have KERS—was able to pull away at will and hold the field at bay in an effortless display.

We can only assume that when we reach tracks with the enormous straights that Tilke builds, that the system will come into its own.

The fact remains, however, that there is really only one racing line around most tracks. If the overtaking manoeuvre cannot be completed well before the corner, it probably won’t succeed.

Following closely through the corners preceding the straights still remains problematic. Even without the double-diffusers and reduced wing sizes, F1 cars still produce a significant turbulent wake, making life extremely difficult for following cars.

While it’s still very early days, the signs are ominous that a still underdeveloped RB7 was so dominant, even without the use of KERS.

There’s a long way to go in the season. Let’s hope that it gets better.