Nico Rosberg won the season opening race in Melbourne ahead of Mclaren's Kevin Magnussen. The Mercedes driver, who started the race in third, climbed two places on the first corner to lead the race and held on to win the Australian Grand Prix. Even more impressive was the debut drive of Magnussen who in his first ever Formula 1 race took second place in what looks to be a much more promising year for Mclaren. Despite finishing and celebrating on the podium, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified after the race which meant that Jenson Button will claim third place.
My Opinion:
Mclaren - Magnussen (2nd), Button (3rd). What a great day and start to the new season for Mclaren. The team failed to achieve a single podium throughout the whole of last year but they started with a bang this time around. Magnussen was truly world class on his debut to come home in second. What a start to the young driver's career that was. Jenson Button didn't get to celebrate on the podium but was moved up to third spot after Ricciardo's disqualification. It was a tough year for the Brit last season but brighter and better things look set to come around the corner for him.
Mercedes - Rosberg (winner), Hamilton (DNF). Mixed emotions at Mercedes. The team will be delighted that Rosberg was able to bring home the victory but to lose Hamilton in the second lap must have felt like a major blow. Nevertheless, Mercedes look to have built the fastest car so far this year and will be looking to score some heavy points whilst Hamilton will be looking to bounce back in the next race.
Ferrari - Alonso (4th), Raikkonen (7th). Standard race for Ferrari. I'm sure the team would have hoped for a better result as it is Ferrari but both drivers took home points. Alonso was able to gain one place up to fourth whilst Raikkonen moved into the top ten and finished 7th. Not the best but certainly not the worst result Ferrari could have hoped for.
Williams - Bottas (5th), Massa (DNF). Williams have seemingly produced a fast car this year but only one driver was able to bring their car home. Bottas had a very strong race, moving up from 15th on the grid to finishing 5th. Encouraging signs for Bottas but disappointment looms in the garage of Massa who didn't complete a single lap. Hugely frustrating for Massa and the team but there are some good signs for the bigger picture.
Force India - Hulkenberg (6th), Perez (10th). Decent start to the season for Force India. Hulkenberg had a good race and moved up a place into 6th whilst Perez managed to take home that final point on offer in 10th. A pretty solid result for the team who will be looking to build on today's good performance.
Toro Rosso - Vergne (8th), Kvyat (9th). Great day for Toro Rosso. It seems as though the team have built a fast car for qualifying but the race pace is a little slower than they would have liked. Despite this, both drivers brought home important points for the team. Vergne dropped two places down to 8th whilst Kvyat fell down one into 9th. Encouraging start to the season and they could be a surprise this year.
Sauber - Sutil (11th), Gutierrez (12th). Sauber just miss out. Despite both cars making it to the end of the race, the team just missed out on securing a point. Sutil brought the car home in 11th just ahead of Gutierrez who finished in 12th. The team will undoubtedly have learned so much from the data they took from the race that it wouldn't surprise me if they picked up a point or two from the next race.
Marussia - Chilton (13th), Bianchi (14th). Marussia proved themselves to be reliable. Although they were the slowest team on track to finish, both of their cars did actually finish the race. Chilton managed to stay ahead of Bianchi in the inter-team battle which is good viewing for the British fans.
Lotus - Grosjean (DNF), Maldonado (DNF). Torrid day for Lotus. It has been a completely disastrous weekend for the team as their cars started from the back of the grid whilst neither car made it to the end of the race. Maldonado lasted 29 laps whilst Grosjean was out there for 43 laps. Things can only get better for Lotus and there will be plenty of pressure for them to improve in the next race.
Caterham - Ericsson (DNF), Kobayashi (DNF). Disappointment for Caterham. It was certainly not the start to the season that Caterham had in mind. Kobayashi didn't make it to the second lap whilst Ericsson could only manage 27 laps.
Red Bull - Vettel (DNF), Ricciardo (DSQ). Despite dominating the sport for the last couple of seasons, it turned out to be an absolute nightmare start to the new season. It started badly when Vettel retired after three laps but they thought they had a podium finish when Ricciardo came in second. However, after the race had been completed the stewards disqualified Ricciardo from the race for not supplying the right fuel sample. Consequently, they came away from the first race with absolutely nothing. I'm sure they will be back strongly in the next race though.
Key Moments During the Race:
Start: Rosberg (up2), Ricciardo, Magnussen (up1), Hamilton (down3), Hulkenberg (up2), Alonso (down1), Vergne (down1), Raikkonen (up3), Kvyat (down1), Bottas (up5). Massa OUT. Kobayashi OUT.
Lap 2: Hulkenberg moves into 4th after passing Hamilton. Hamilton OUT.
Lap 3: Raikkonen moves in 7th after passing Vergne. Bottas moves into 9th after passing Kvyat. Vettel OUT.
Lap 5: Bottas moves into 7th after passing Vergne.
Lap 8: Bottas moves into 6th after passing Raikkonen.
Lap 11: Bottas makes contact with a wall and has rear tyre damage.
Lap 12: Safety car deployed to clear debris.
Lap 15: Safety car goes back to the pits.
Lap 16: Rosberg, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Button, Vergne, Raikkonen, Sutil, Kvyat.
Lap 19: Bottas moves into 10th after passing Maldonado.
Lap 23: Grosjean moves into 13th after passing Maldonado.
Lap 25: Bottas moves into 9th after passing Kvyat.
Lap 27: Ericsson OUT.
Lap 29: Maldonado OUT.
Lap 35: Bottas moves into 5th after passing Raikkonen.
Lap 38: Rosberg makes a pit stop and regains the lead.
Lap 43: Grosjean OUT.
Lap 47: Bottas moves into 7th after passing Vergne.
Lap 52: Bottas moves into 6th after passing Hulkenberg.
Lap 55: Raikkonen moves into 8th after passing Vergne.
Finish: Rosberg wins the Australian Grand Prix. Ricciardo comes second and Magnussen third.
*Ricciardo was disqualified after the race ended which means that Magnussen claims second and Button third.
Race Result
1. Rosberg (Mercedes) 1.32.58.710
2. Magnussen (Mclaren) +26 seconds
3. Button (Mclaren) +30 seconds
4. Alonso (Ferrari) +35
5. Bottas (Williams) +47
6. Hulkenberg (Force India) +50
7. Raikkonen (Ferrari) +57
8. Vergne (Toro Rosso) +1 minute
9. Kvyat (Torro Rosso) +1 minute 3 seconds
10. Perez (Force India) +1 minute 25 seconds
11. Sutil (Sauber) +1 minute 25 seconds
12. Gutierrez (Sauber) lapped
13. Chilton (Marussia) lapped
14. Bianchi (Marussia) lapped
15. Grosjean ((Lotus) retired 43 laps
16. Maldonado (Lotus) retired 29 laps
17. Ericsson (Caterham) retired 27 laps
18. Vettel (Red Bull) retired 3 laps
19. Hamilton (Mercedes) retired 2 laps
20. Massa (Williams) retired 0 laps
21. Kobayashi (Caterham) retired 0 laps
22. Ricciardo (Red Bull) disqualified
Fastest Lap: Rosberg (Mercedes) 1.32.478
Driver of the Day: Magnussen (Mclaren)
Team of the Day: Mclaren
Driver Standings
1. Rosberg 25pts
2. Magnussen 18pts
3. Button 15pts
4. Alonso 12pts
5. Bottas 10pts
Constructor Standings
1. Mclaren 33pts
2. Mercedes 25pts
3. Ferrari 18pts
4. Williams 10pts
5. Force India 9pts
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mattaylott
Feel free to leave a comment below!
No comments:
Post a Comment