Hamilton cruises to win in Australia

Star of the race

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

The Brazilian Grand Prix Forecast

Rain, Rain and more rain is forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. It's a race often effected by inclement weather and in recent years has also been a dramatic finale for the Grand Prix season. It won't end anything this year but it will still be crucial in deciding who is world champion by the end of the Abu Dhabi weekend.

The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is a mixture of fast straights and a tight twisty infield. Set up will be a compromise especially with the weather predictions being rain all weekend. The DRS zone may not come in to it if it's too wet but there is one on the start finish straight and between turns three and four. Pirelli have brought the medium and soft compounds but again at the time of writing it's unlikely they'll be used much. If they are they should offer decent grip and the degradation should offer us at least a two stopper for the 71 lap race.

I'm not sure either title contender wants a mixed up race this weekend, they just want a straight fight for the title. Lewis Hamilton has won and lost a championship here in mixed conditions, but it's certain he won't do either this year. In a normal season, one not potentially tainted by double points, then he would be on the verge of sealing it.

He is 24 points ahead of Nico Rosberg with only 25 for the win, but with Abu Dhabi offering 50 points for the final race of the season that championship win is still some distance away. Last season Rosberg qualified and finished ahead of Hamilton. He's going to need a similar result now, preferably for him with a few cars in-between.

The likelihood is that once again both Mercedes cars will be heading the pack, in this case all Lewis needs to do is finish second both in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to take the title. We all know he's not going to settle for second though, not if he's close behind and senses an opportunity to make the pass.

I think as always this year it'll be extremely close between the pair, but I can see Hamilton taking pole and the win and extending his title lead this weekend leaving us on tenterhooks as to whether double points is going to leave a bitter taste if something were to go wrong for Lewis.

It doesn't matter who wins as long as double points doesn't affect the outcome. Ideally if Lewis just finishes second to Rosberg then it'll be fine with the current points gap. If Rosberg is within seven points at the end of Brazil then again whoever is first and second in Abu Dhabi won't matter. Although looking at the season as a whole, with ten wins to Rosberg's four it seems inconceivable that Hamilton should not be the rightful winner. But Rosberg is up there for a reason, he's kept himself in the battle and driven some great races. It's all to play for still and with the weather not looking great, Brazil is going to be a very exciting chapter indeed in this thrilling title fight.

Behind the championship duo, I expect Felipe Massa to put in a strong performance for Williams at his home race. In 2006, '07, '08 he was quite simply superb and should have had a hat trick of victories. He'll certainly be one to watch, his team mate Valtteri Bottas is going to have to be at his very best to beat Massa this weekend. However, Williams have not had the best pace in the rain and if the forecast is right, then they may struggle.

Which will leave Red Bull as the main challengers, or the ones most likely to finish third. Again you would have to pick out Daniel Ricciardo as the man most likely to, he's been fantastic all year. I'm still expecting a stand out showing from Sebastian Vettel at some point, but he's running out of time to really leave a mark this season before he leaves Red Bull.

If the weather is wet, then again you cannot go wrong by predicting that Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for Ferrari and McLaren respectively will be up there. Put Nico Hulkenberg into that category too, they are all brilliant in mixed up conditions and could play a major part in the final result. 

Alonso has still not announced where he's driving next year, but he looks more and more certain to go to McLaren with Kevin Magnussen most likely to be his team mate. This leaves Jenson Button fighting to stay in Formula 1, but although Porsche have denied it, there are still strong rumours he might go to the World Endurance Championship next season. I think Button still has a few more good years left in him in Formula 1 and this race could be ideal for him to showcase why.

Sauber have signed Felipe Nasr, currently second in GP2 this year and Williams third driver. He'll partner Caterham's Marcus Ericsson. It is to be presumed both have backing but Nasr is a fast driver and deserves a chance in Formula 1. It of course leaves both current Sauber drivers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez without drives for next year. They'll be going all out to secure seats for 2015.

Jean-Eric Vergne has been doing that since it was announced Toro Rosso had signed Max Verstappen. It's not inconceivable that he might end up staying put, and the way he's been driving recently has shown just what a great racer he is. In the wet he's brilliant so keep an eye out for him.

Marussia and Caterham's continued absence means we still have just 18 cars. Even though the Austin race was very good, it still looked a lot emptier out on track and that is not a good thing. There needs to be more seats in the top echelon of motor sport so the stars of tomorrow can learn. But these smaller teams need more money from the sports authorities to survive so that can happen rather than taking pay drivers.

It looks like there may be a deal going on with CVC (Formula 1's owner) potentially offering $100million to be split between the smaller teams. There is good news of sorts with both Marussia and Caterham lodging entries for next season despite still being in administration while Marussia definitely hopes to be back for Abu Dhabi. Hopefully we'll have a full complement of cars soon.

Anyway, driver moves and the cash crisis are still likely to be high on the list of talking points, but it's the fight for the championship that'll be everyone's headline. In the wet of Brazil, it's about to get ever more intense.

#ForzaJules

all photos taken from autosport.com