There were three rookie drivers lining up on the grid in Melbourne. Of those three it was the youthful Toro Rosso pair of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz that were given most of the attention, not many spared a thought for Felipe Nasr of the Sauber team. After the turmoil that engulfed Sauber it was even doubtful whether Nasr or team mate Marcus Ericsson would race after Giedo van der Garde was found by the courts to have a valid contract to race for the team.
That story still has some way to go, but Ericsson and Nasr eventually lined up to take the start. Nasr was particularly impressive, qualifying eleventh which became tenth after Williams' Valtteri Bottas was ruled unfit to drive due to a soft tissue tear in his lower back.
He made a good start and was alongside the Ferrari's and Sainz when turn one shenanigans meant he touched Pastor Maldonado, sending the Lotus into the wall. A brief safety car period followed before he launched himself ahead of Sainz into fifth. Kimi Raikkonen took that fifth place through pit stops but after the Ferrari driver retired Nasr reclaimed that spot and comfortably held off the attentions of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull to secure a top five finish on what was a confident debut putting to bed suggestions he was a mere pay driver.
The winner
Untouchable. Oh yes, you might say it looked like a race, there was an exchange of fastest laps between the two Mercedes drivers, but a real actual race where the lead looked in jeopardy? No, no, don't be silly.
Lewis Hamilton had the edge on Nico Rosberg from Saturday practice onwards. Rosberg looked strong on Friday as Lewis struggled with set up but from then on it was the Briton in control. A dominant qualifying display followed, a great start neatly capitalised on that, a fantastic restart after that opening safety car period that made Rosberg looked like he was asleep built on that control still further. Fastest lap capped his weekend and he won in dominant fashion despite never being more than a few seconds in front of Rosberg.
It was a champions drive that showed exactly why most people are tipping him to be even more dominant than last year. It's probably too early to say, but already the impression is there that as Hamilton picks up where he left off in 2014, Rosberg will need to strike back in Malaysia if this isn't to become a Hamilton victory parade.
The battles
Let's be honest here, this race was by no means a thriller. If you were up at stupid o'clock in the morning to watch the race live, then chances are it would have started to make those heavy eyelids close tight round your eyes and help you drift off into a more exciting race of your own making.
However, there were still a few battles to keep one entertained. Jenson Button in the recalcitrant McLaren-Honda managed to make some classy defensive moves to hold off Sergio Perez's Force India for several laps. He also got quite rude by forcing the Mexican into a spin, before eventually the battle was lost and Perez went through.
Sebastian Vettel tracking Felipe Massa kept the early stages alive, before the new Ferrari drive got past in the pit stops. The real eye catching battle was Nasr holding off Ricciardo, Kimi and Sainz in the early stages of the race. Kimi particularly was putting the pressure on the Red Bull driver, making fleeting attempts at getting by before having to back off.
Ericsson was pretty feisty in the other Sauber too and did a good job on a two stop strategy and was energetic on his newer tyres at the end of the race to jump Sainz for eighth.
Things of note
Only 15 cars took the start. The Manor cars had software problems which couldn't be rectified so they didn't even turn a wheel. Bottas was ruled out over his back after qualifying sixth. Kevin Magnussen had an engine failure on his way to the grid while the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat had gearbox issues which prevented his participation too.
Within two laps both Lotus cars were out, Maldonado because of an accident, Grosjean because of power unit issues. So 13 cars were left to entertain the Australian crowed. All the issues were something that was expected last year when these regulations were new, not after a years experience. Very odd, and not the greatest advert for Formula 1.
Button's moustache caught the attention. I'm not sure it beats his designer stubble, but it was one of the more noteworthy things of McLaren's weekend apart from the fact that they actually got a car to the finish.
McLaren and Honda have not had a good start to their renewed partnership but despite being last and the only car to finish which didn't score a point, it at least pointed to some progress. Yes the engine was turned down, and yes the other Magnussen had that engine failure but crumbs of comfort and all.
Red Bull are not where they want to be. Mostly it appears this is down to Renault. One car didn't start and Ricciardo couldn't use his star quality for more than sixth. Team boss Christian Horner is already calling for moves to equalise the disparity between Mercedes and the rest. I think the best thing he can do is ask Renault for a better power unit. They're working with ex-Ilmor and Mercedes engine genius Mario Illien so progress should come soon, but probably not soon enough.
Ferrari were a nice surprise having made significant improvements over the winter. Vettel and Kimi showed decent pace, and only a botched pit stop for the Finn and subsequent retirement meant they didn't have two cars in the top five. Vettel looked particularly delighted to get a podium on his Scuderia debut. They look like they're going to be locked into a tight battle with Williams though, both have very similar qualifying and race pace.
Both Toro Rosso drivers looked like they'd been in Formula 1 for years. Barely a mistake between them all weekend showed that the Red Bull junior program is as good as ever. Sainz was a particular surprise, out qualifying and out racing his fabled team mate Verstappen. To be fair to Max he was unlucky not to make Q3 and retired due to power unit troubles otherwise he'd have joined Sainz in scoring points on his debut. This pair are going to be fascinating to watch over the season.
Despite their good start and first points since 2013, Sauber could still be in quite the mess over their driver issues. They don't have a lot of money and to have to pay van der Garde off is not going to be easy. At least they have a quick car.
To end on a positive note, despite just two and a bit days of testing Force India scored a double points finish with Hulkenberg and Perez finishing seventh and tenth. A lot more to come from this team.
The title chase
Well one thing is for certain, it's between Hamilton and Rosberg. This story is either going to become very one sided or very close. It's up to Rosberg to make it very close to avoid being pushed into the Mark Webber when he was alongside Vettel. Still many questions to be answered and better racing to come as Formula 1 next heads to Malaysia.
Result
1. Hamilton - Mercedes
2. Rosberg - Mercedes
3. Vettel - Ferrari
4. Massa - Williams
5. Nasr - Sauber
6. Ricciardo - Red Bull
7. Hulkenberg - Force India
8. Ericsson - Sauber
9. Sainz - Toro Rosso
10. Perez - Force India
11. Button - McLaren
R. Raikkonen - Ferrari - Loose Wheel
R. Verstappen - Toro Rosso - Power Unit
R. Grosjean - Lotus - Power Unit
R. Maldonado - Lotus - Accident
DNS. Kvyat - Red Bull - Gearbox
DNS. Magnussen - McLaren - Power Unit
Withdrew. Bottas - Williams
DNQ. Stevens - Manor
DNQ. Mehri - Manor
all photos from autosport.com
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