Ferrari proved they could be a force in the 2017 Formula 1 campaign as Sebastian Vettel stormed to victory on Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix.

The German produced a fantastic performance to help the Scuderia win their first race since 2015 as the Italian giants kicked off the new era with a bang.

Their reliability issues from the last three years looked a thing of the past as they delivered a perfect strategy for the former Red Bull man as he finished in front of pre-race favourite Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes star was left disappointed after qualifying on pole, while his team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished in third.

Hamilton continued to voice his frustrations throughout the race and eventually finished 10 seconds behind his rival.

The Briton struggled to get past the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and it eventually cost him dear with Vettel quick to claim Ferrari will continue to improve.

After the race he said: “It’s a great relief for everyone. This is just the beginning.” Verstappen finished fifth just ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa and the Force India of Sergio Perez.

The top 10 was rounded off by Carlos Sainz Jnr, Daniil Kvyat and Esteban Ocon while Fernando Alonso in his McLaren could only finish in 14th.

The paddock will do battle once again in two weeks time in China, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff looking to find answers after admitting Ferrari deserved to win the opening race.

He told Sky Sports F1: “We were worried about the undercut possibility. We knew we would come out behind Max and Kimi and that’s what happened. Ferrari played it very well.”