Australian Grand Prix

Action and drama

Everyone hoped that Melbourne's reputation for thrills and spills might rehabilitate Formula 1 after the storm of criticism for Bahrain's 90 minutes of tedium - and the Australian GP certainly delivered. The rain helped, but cars were going wheel to wheel long after the track dried, and the new rules worked too: the mix of cars making worn tyres last while others pitted then charged back added a lot to the spectacle.


Interesting technical controversies

Little bits of technical intrigue are a key part of F1. When they turn into full-blown rows over imperceptible components resulting in disqualifications, hasty redesigns and misery, it's no fun. But when it's a case of very clever people going head to head with intriguing innovations like McLaren's F-duct and the rumoured ride height devices being used in qualifying, then it helps keep news ticking over, and underlines just how much intelligent technical imagination the F1 paddock possesses.


Jenson Button

This win was worth far more than 25 points to the world champion. He proved he wasn't mad to go up against Lewis Hamilton at McLaren after all, succeeding with his new team long before even he thought he would.


Robert Kubica

Welcome back to the front, Renault. Quickest in first practice was a promising start, and Kubica reckoned he would've been higher up the top ten if his car hadn't taken exception to Saturday's cool temperature. His tough race drive was yet another reminder of his talent - not everyone would have kept that Renault in second under such concerted pressure.


Paul di Resta

Young Scot di Resta's first experience of the VJM03 in the dry came in Friday practice - at a track he didn't know and with 23 race drivers swarming around trying to get on with their business. But he coped superbly and looked totally at home as he set the 11th fastest time. With no moans from Adrian Sutil about having to vacate his cockpit for a test driver, it looks like di Resta will get plenty of practice this year. He also shrugged off a surprise intrusion from a shark while having a publicity photoshoot on a beach...


But the Australian GP was a BAD weekend for...

Lewis Hamilton

In the race, he drove brilliantly and produced some of the finest overtaking moves of his life. That hour and a bit of pleasure aside, this was a rough few days for Hamilton. His over-exuberance in a road car on Friday night earned both police attention and global newspaper coverage, and was followed by a miserable qualifying session. It was Mark Webber's mistake that cost him a top five finish, but even before that he was already having an unseemly rant at his team over the radio after McLaren called him in for a mid-race tyre change. Oh, and the team-mate he was tipped to totally blow away took a brilliant win. When things go wrong for Lewis, they really go wrong...


Red Bull

Having the fastest car in F1 - which Red Bull clearly does right now - is of little use if it starts falling apart mid-race each time. Vettel has been excellent this year, his pole lap in Melbourne being particularly jaw-dropping, but he doesn't have a lot to show for his speed. Webber's chaotic run to ninth didn't brighten the team's spirits either.


Virgin Racing

So the winter rumours were true: Virgin's fuel tank really is too small for its cars to make the finish. Some would argue that this won't matter as the chances of a Virgin VR-01 seeing the chequered flag are so slim anyway, while the team insisted the problem wasn't as dramatic as paddock gossip suggested - and that at most circuits the drivers would either be fine or only require a slightly fuel-conservative driving style. Luckily Richard Branson was on hand to reiterate his faith in the team, and remind his audience that teething troubles weren't unheard of in Virgin's escapades. And his immediate reaction when told of the fuel tank cock-up? A succinct but expressive "F*** me!"


Michael Schumacher

Let's not drift away with nostalgia - Schumacher's 'first' F1 career was not an uninterrupted string of successes and did feature a few dud races. For instance in his final season he crashed out of the Australian GP having earlier been wheel to wheel with a humble Toro Rosso... at least this weekend he didn't crash. The trouble is that back then such performances were blips amid the excellence. Since his comeback the only 'classic' Schumacher performance has been his minor spat with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton over qualifying blocking. How long till people start speculating that he will abandon his return...?


Kobayashi's front wings

One smashed on a marker cone in practice. Another detached when a weakened mounting broke a little later in the session. A third one dislodged on lap one, prompting a massive accident. Kobayashi's aggressive style can make for exciting viewing, but it's not much fun for his front wings.

Mercedes have mixed fortunes in Australian Grand Prix

An eventful race at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix saw Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher bring their MGP W01 cars home in the points for a second successive race with Nico in fifth position and Michael in 10th place.

Rain immediately before the start meant all cars began on intermediate tyres. Michael was hit by Fernando Alonso in the first corner and was forced to pit for a new nose, resuming the race at the back of the field. Nico was running in fifth place at the end of lap one.

With the track drying, both drivers pitted on lap eight to switch to slicks. With the soft option tyres suffering from degradation, Michael pitted for a fresh set on lap 29 with Nico following on lap 33, rejoining in 12th and 7th positions respectively.

An exciting end to the race saw Nico catch up to the closely-bunched group from Robert Kubica in second place to Mark Webber in sixth place. He was therefore in position to take advantage when Webber and Lewis Hamilton collided and move up to fifth place. Michael had a late surge to overtake Jaime Alguersuari and Pedro De La Rosa, collecting the final point for 10th place.

Mercedes GP Petronas are currently in third position in the Constructors’ Championship after two races.

Nico Rosberg
“Fifth place is a good result after a mixed-up race today. I had a bad start in the wet and after that we lacked pace and I struggled with the option tyre. The rear degradation was pretty bad so we decided to go for a second stop and get some fresh tyres to try to attack the group ahead. Even with the tyre advantage, it would have been difficult to pass once we caught up and therefore it was good to make up a couple of places when Mark and Lewis had an incident, so I’m pleased with that. We need to keep on taking the points whilst we improve the car so overall it was a decent weekend.”

Michael Schumacher
“I could have had a good race today so it was a pity that I was hit right after the start. That incident decided my race obviously. But things like that happen and you have to just say ‘that’s racing’. I had to take the remainder of the race from last position but I have to say that I was still having fun as our pace today was promising and for part of the race, we were going quicker than the top group. It was nice to pick up a point and we can take that good feeling into the next race where we will look forward to another challenge.”

Ross Brawn
“Nico did a very good job today and pushed hard to get fifth place. He was in a reasonable position halfway through but we began to get concerned about his tyres. He had lost a position to Lewis and it looked like Mark would get past so we took the decision to bring him in. As expected with fresh tyres, he caught up with the pack towards the end and was able to take advantage of the ensuing incident with the cars ahead. Whether we gained from bringing him in or whether his original tyres could have held out is difficult to know. Michael had the first lap incident which made his race very difficult thereafter and he did a very good job to keep at it and score a point. Overall I’m pleased with how the team performed this weekend. We got the most out of the car but clearly need to find some more performance. It’s not out of reach and we have a lot to look forward to over the next few races. Congratulations to Jenson on a great performance and victory today.”

Norbert Haug
"A very entertaining race and indeed probably one of the best ever. The rain and the various tyre strategies mixed up the field and our drivers showed competitive speed. Better than fifth and tenth positions was possible but Michael was a victim of Button and Alonso coming together in the first corner which required a stop and nose change. Michael stopped three times in total so finishing in tenth position and in the points was the maximum that he could achieve after an excellent drive. Nico did a great job, finishing just over two seconds behind a podium position and in the same league with the fastest. Great job, Nico! We have scored points in all four starts and our speed in Melbourne was much better than in Bahrain. Congratulations to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and to Jenson Button. Their early tyre change was followed by a great and measured drive from Jenson. This was the 69th victory for Mercedes-Benz since Melbourne 1997 and I hope soon we will have a jubilee. Looking to the next race in Malaysia, everybody in the team is very dedicated to catching up and I am sure this will be achieved soon.”