Hamilton takes Pole in Melbourne
The Formula 1 season starts again for the 2014 campaign in Melbourne amongst some of the biggest rule changes in a generation. Mercedes will be delighted with the way they started the year as their car looks to be the quickest. Hamilton sealed pole position for the first race of the year whilst Ricciardo sits alongside him on the front row. Rosberg took third whilst an impressive debut from Mclaren rookie drive Magnussen claimed fourth. Last years champion Sebastien Vettel had a poor qualifying, only managing 13th spot on the grid. All in all it is set up to be an exciting opening race to the season with Mercedes looking to dominate from the start.
My Opinion:
Mercedes - Hamilton (pole), Rosberg (3rd). What a great day for Mercedes who were by far the best team in qualifying. Hamilton takes pole and will fancy winning the first race of the season whilst Rosberg looks set to be on the podium.
Red Bull - Ricciardo (2nd), Vettel (13th). A mixed day for Red Bull. New driver Ricciardo looked impressive and put his Red Bull on the front row but Vettel had a tough day and was knocked out in Q2. It would be a great story if Ricciardo can finish on the podium but even better if he can win in front of his home crowd. Vettel should get himself in the points and it will be a case of how far up the grid he can propel himself.
Ferrari - Alonso (5th), Raikkonen (12th). It seems like Ferrari still lack pace in their car as Alonso could only manage 5th behind the Mercedes, Red Bull and Mclaren. Alonso will pick up some points but I'm not convinced he will be on the podium. Raikkonen is back at Ferrari but struggled in Q2. The iceman should get amongst the points but it was not result he'd hoped for today.
Mclaren - Magnussen (4th), Button (11th). Signs of improvement for Mclaren. It was a horrid time for Mclaren last year who struggled their way through the season. However, a new car looks to have brought some belief into the team as it looks much quicker this year. Magnussen was incredible on his debut to put his car on the second row whilst Button just missed out on a place in Q3. Plenty of points available for Mclaren to take from this race tomorrow.
Toro Rosso - Vergne (6th), Kvyat (8th). Toro Rosso had a decent qualifying result as both of their drivers made it through to Q3. Vergne was the faster of the two drivers but both will have great chances of scoring some points for the team.
Force India - Hulkenberg (7th), Perez (16th). A mixed bag for Force India. Hulkenberg showed some pace and looks good to score some points from 7th but Perez was not at his best on his debut qualifying for his new team. From 16th on the grid, Perez will most likely find it tough to finish in the top 10 but he has a point to prove to Mclaren who dropped him from the team at the end of the last season.
Williams - Massa (9th), Bottas (10th). Williams may be disappointed with that result as they look to have produced a pretty fast car this year. Massa and Bottas round up the top 10 but don't be surprised if they move themselves up the order in the race.
Sauber - Sutil (14th), Gutierrez (19th). Encouraging signs for Sauber. Sutil was the star man for the team today, putting himself in 14th but Gutierrez struggled and will find it tough in 19th.
Caterham - Kobayashi (15th), Ericsson (20th). Caterham got one car into Q2 as Kobayashi took 15th but Ericsson was not on form today and will starts 20th.
Marussia - Chilton (17th), Bianchi (18th). Marussia had two drivers who were pretty much on par with each other but it was Max Chilton who claimed 17th just ahead of Bianchi.
Lotus - Grosjean (21st), Maldonado (22nd). Disastrous day for Lotus. Lotus had a decent season last year but got off to a nightmare start to 2014. Both cars lineup at the back of the grid as Grosjean and Maldonado have a shocker. The car should not be at the back as it is certainly not the slowest so I fully expect them to climb the order tomorrow but points look out of the question now.
Q3
Pole. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1.44.231
2. Ricciardo (Red Bull)
3. Rosberg (Mercedes)
4. Magnussen (Mclaren)
5. Alonso (Ferrari)
6. Vergne (Toro Rosso)
7. Hulkenberg (Force India)
8. Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
9. Massa (Williams)
10. Bottas (Williams)
Q2
11. Button (Mclaren)
12. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
13. Vettel (Red Bull)
14. Sutil (Sauber)
15. Kobayashi (Caterham)
16. Perez (Force India)
Q1
17. Chilton (Marussia)
18. Bianchi (Marussia)
19. Guiterrez (Sauber)
20. Ericsson (Caterham)
21. Grosjean (Lotus)
22. Maldonado (Lotus)
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