Not much made sense for reigning four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel at the Australian Grand Prix.
“People were passing me – I didn’t understand,” the bemused German said on Sunday.
Then something even more rare happened.
Vettel was forced to retire after five laps with engine performance problems, snapping his nine-race winning streak dating back to last August’s Belgian Grand Prix.
But the big surprise was still to come.
Vettel’s Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo impressed on Red Bull debut to claim second behind Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg – only to be later sensationally disqualified.
Ricciardo earned the ire of officials because his car broke an F1 law regarding allowed fuel flow during the race.
While the all smiling Ricciardo proved the hit of the Albert Park crowd before the post-race bombshell, Vettel did not sound like a man ready to hand over Red Bull top billing any time soon despite his nightmare season opener.
“I have wasted a lot of points in this race but it’s a long season,” he said.
“We can fix the situation but the question is how soon.
“The positive from this weekend is that once the package comes together we know we will be quick.”
Vettel had revealed pre-race he would have been happy just to complete the season opener at Albert Park after dramas at testing and qualifying with the new V6 turbo hybrid engines and reconfigured aerodynamics.
Vettel started from 12th on the grid in Melbourne, the first time he had not qualified in the top 10 since China 2012.
Still, Vettel looked like a frustrated man when he faced the media on Sunday.
“It is difficult to say when exactly but in the second formation lap I realised I had no power,” he said.
“I tried to recover but it didn’t happen.
“There is a bit to work on in terms of reliability.”