Hamilton opens F1 season with victory at Australian Grand Prix
World champion Lewis Hamilton opened the Formula One season with a wire-to-wire victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Fresh off his second career driver’s championship in 2014, Hamilton made an early statement in his bid for a third. He was unstoppable in the 58-lap race from Melbourne with an error-free performance from pole to checkered flag Sunday.
.@LewisHamilton: "Thank you so much for this amazing car!!" #F1 #AusGP
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) March 15, 2015
Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s rival and Mercedes teammate, wasn't as flawless but still flashed his car’s dominant power en route to a second-place finish.
Sebastian Vettel grabbed the final step on the podium in his debut with Ferrari after holding off fourth-place Felipe Massa of Williams.
Just 11 of the planned 20-car grid finished a routine race that didn't feature many passes but had plenty of disappointed drivers.
Kimi Raikkonen looked rejuvenated in his Ferrari but was hampered by pit crew mistakes that eventually cost him his race. The Finn’s first pit stop was marred by a left rear wheel refusing to come off, and his day ended on Lap 42 when he went back out on track without the same wheel fully attached following another pit.
Max Verstappen, who made his debut as the youngest ever driver to race in F1 at 17 years old, looked good until his engine blew on Lap 35. His Toro Rosso teammate and fellow rookie Carlos Sainz Jr., also impressed with a ninth-place finish despite an error by the pit crew setting him back considerably.
One team with plenty to celebrate was Sauber.
Rookie Felipe Nasr finished fifth in his F1 debut while teammate Marcus Ericsson also earned points in eighth place. The positive results followed a nightmare week for the team after an Australian court upheld a previous decision demanding Sauber honor a contract with driver Giedo van der Garde.
The Dutchman later bowed out of the race, leaving Sauber with a temporary respite from its legal trouble.
Both Lotus drivers meanwhile didn't even finish a lap. Pastor Maldonado was spun into the wall as cars fought for position and his teammate Romain Grosjean dropped out with a mechanical issue.
It was a disastrous start to the season for several teams. Five cars were lost before the race even began.
Williams's Valtteri Bottas was held out with a back injury just an hour before the start, McLaren's Kevin Magnussen's engine failed him on the formation lap and Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat suffered a gearbox issue. Manor Marussia's cars never even made it to the track.