Lewis Hamilton revives Mercedes' hopes, despite Red Bull authority in Australia

Red Bull ace Max Verstappen might have dominated a wild Australian Grand Prix, but Mercedes were also a big winner with the Silver Arrows finally starting to look competitive.

After the season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, team boss Toto Wolff declared they had "one of their worst days" in racing, with Lewis Hamilton complaining of becoming "the fourth-fastest team".

It followed a lacklustre 2022 in which the eight-time constructors champions were dethroned by Red Bull, with the outlook bleak heading into the new year.

But they made strides in Saudi Arabia and are now singing a different tune after seven-time world champion Hamilton, who at one stage was briefly leading the action-packed race in Melbourne, came second to pole-sitter Verstappen.

His teammate, George Russell, was also lightning-quick and in the hunt before a power unit failure ended his day on lap 17.

George Russell's Sunday goes from bad to worse...????#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ALP9YwP0lo

Upturn in performance

It followed a stirring qualifying session that saw both Mercedes outpace Fernando Alonso in his rejuvenated Aston Martin and the struggling Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

"Considering we're down on performance, to be fighting with the Aston Martins is amazing for us at this point in the season," said an upbeat Hamilton after holding off a surging Alonso and overcoming battles with safety cars and three red flags.

"We've just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap - it's going to be tough but not impossible."

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With a three-week break till the next race in Azerbaijan, Wolff said they would take their