Race Notes - Hamilton wins Australian opener

Wolrd Champion Lewis Hamilton has picked up where he left off in Abu Dhabi last year, and has won the opening race of the 2015 season in his Mercedes GP over his team mate Nico Rosberg, and new Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel finishing on the podium in third place.

The win is Hamilton™s 34th of his career.

Felipe Massa in the Williams-Mercedes finished in fourth place, followed by rookie Felipe Nasr in the Sauber-Ferrari in fifth, Daniel Ricciardo in the Reb Bull-Renault in sixth, Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India-Mercedes in seventh, Marcus Ericsson in the second Sauber in eighth, Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso-Renault in ninth and Sergio Perez in the second Force India in the final points position in tenth. Jenson Button in the McLaren-Honda was the only other finisher in 11th.

Nasr, Ericsson and Sainz all scored their first career points.

Before the start on the way to the grid, Kevin Magnussen™s McLaren-Honda comes to a stop with an engine failure. Daniil Kvyat™s Red Bull also pulls off the track and is out before the start, with a gearbox issue.

Valteri Bottas will not start the race after hurting his back during qualifying yesterday.

The Mercedes GP duo of Hamilton and Rosberg start the season where they left off on the front row of the grid, followed by Massa and Vettel on the second row. Raikkonen and Ricciardo on the third row, rookie Sainz and Grosjean on the fourth row, and Maldonado and Nasr round out the top ten on the grid.

Pirelli are supplying the white sidewalled medium compound and yellow sidewalled soft compound tyres.

Perez, Verstappen and Ericsson will start on the harder medium compound tyres.

The come to the grid and the lights go out for the start of the 2015 season with World Champion Hamilton on pole.

The race starts and Hamilton takes the lead followed by Rosberg, Massa and Vettel.

Raikkonen and Maldonado come together coming out of the first corner - Maldonado spins and ends up into the outside wall. The Safety Car is deployed. Ericsson and Grosjean pit at the end of the lap. Grosjean™s Lotus is pushed into the garage.

Behind the Safety Car Hamilton leads Rosberg, Massa, Vettel, Sainz, Nasr, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Verstappen and Hulkenberg in tenth place.

At the start of lap 4 the Safety Car pulls in and the race resumes. Nasr passes Sainz down the main straight and takes fifth.

Force India informs Perez that he passed Ericsson under the Safety Car and needs to give the position back.

Ricciardo passes Sainz as well for sixth place.

On lap 4 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m32.765s, and leads Rosberg by 2.6 seconds.

On lap 6 Ricciardo is closing on Nasr in fifth. Rosberg sets fast lap.

Ricciardo complains of understeer in high speed corners. Perez goes off in the gravel at turn 3 but continues.

On lap 8 Raikkonen passes Sainz for seventh in turn 9.

At lap 10 Hamilton leads Rosberg by 1.2 seconds, followed by Massa (7.5s), Vettel (8.2s), Nasr (16.4s), Ricciardo (17.3s), Raikkonen (19.1s), Sainz (21.0s), Verstappen (25.6s) and Hulkenberg (26.8s) in tenth place.

On lap 11 Raikkonen closes on Ricciardo in sixth place.

On lap 14 Perez battling Button for 12th place - the two former team mates come together. Perez spins, but then continues.

On lap 17 Raikkonen pits and takes another set of soft tyres, with a slow stop. Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m32.148s.

Rosberg reports to the team that he has brushed the wall at turn 11.

On lap 18 Raikkonen on fresh tyres sets fast lap.

At lap 20 Hamilton leads Rosberg by 2.4 seconds, followed by Massa (14.7s), Vettel (16.3s), Nasr (30.5s), Ricciardo (34.9s), Sainz (39.0s), Verstappen (45.2s), Hulkenberg (474s), Ericsson (48.1s), Raikkonen (57.4s), Button (74.2s) and Perez, the final runner (80.1s).

On lap 22 Massa pits from third and Hulkenberg pits from ninth place. Massa rejoins in sixth place.

On lap 24 Massa closes on Ricciardo, but Ricciardo pits. Vettel pits the next lap from third place, for medium tyres and rejoins ahead of Massa.

On lap 26 Sainz pits and has problems with the left rear tyre. Leader Hamilton pits for medium tyres. Nasr pits for medium tyres as well.

Rosberg pits the next lap for medium tyres and rejoins behind Hamilton in second place.

On lap 27 Raikkonen passes Verstappen for fifth place. Ericsson pits.

On lap 28 Button makes his first stop. Ericsson passes Perez in the first turn to take tenth place.

At lap 30, just past half-distance, Hamilton continues to lead over his team mate Rosberg by 2.8 seconds, followed by Vettel (14.2s), Massa (17.5s), Raikkonen (29.4s), Verstappen (37.8s), Nasr (42.2s), Ricciardo (46.3s), Hulkenberg (59.8s), Ericsson (74.3s), Perez (79.4s), Sainz (85.1s), and Button (1 Lap) in 13th place.

Ericsson is told by the team to take care of his tyres, as he needs to get them to last 30 laps to the finish.

On lap 30 Raikkonen sets fast lap at 1m31 947 s. Rosberg closes on Hamilton to 2.2 seconds behind.

On lap 33 Verstappen is the final runner to make his first pitstop, switching to soft tyres.

The next lap, Verstappen reports smoke in the car and pulls off the track to retire. The youngest ever F1 starter™s day is done.

On lap 36, Sainz, after a terrible pit stop closes on Perez in the final points position.

On lap 36 Rosberg sets fast lap at 1m31.344s, and trails Hamilton by 1.5 seconds.

On lap 38 Sainz and Perez battle but Perez holds the position. Rosberg is told to save some fuel in order to attack near the end of the race.

On lap38 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m31.134.

On lap 40 Perez pits for a slow stop. Rosberg reports to the team that he is unsure

At lap 40 Hamilton leads Rosberg by 2.4 seconds, followed Vettel (23.7s), Massa (27.5s), Raikkonen (30.8s), Nasr (58.3s), Ricciardo (60.3s), Hulkenberg (82.8s), Ericsson (1 Lap), Sainz (1 Lap), Button (1 Lap), and Perez (1 Lap).

On lap 41 Raikkonen pits for his final stop, the car leaves but one of the mechanics waves his hands. Raikkonen rejoins, but pulls off the track with what looks like a loose rear tyre, and is out of the race.

On lap 43 Perez passes Button for tenth place.

The stewards announce that they will investigate if if Raikkonen was released from the pits unsafely.

On lap 45 Ericsson pits for soft tyres and rejoins in ninth. Hulkenberg pits the next lap for his final stop. Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m31.177s.

On lap 46 Massa is slowly closing on Vettel in third place.

Button drops a wheel off-course, but continues.

On lap 47 Rosberg sets fast lap at 1m31.332s.

At lap 50 Hamilton continues to leads Rosberg by 2.4 seconds, followed by Vettel (32.2s), Massa (34.7s), Nasr (73.2s), Ricciardo (78.6s), Hulkenberg (1 Lap), Sainz (1 Lap), Ericsson (1 Lap), Perez (1 Lap) and Button (1 Lap) in 11th place.

Button is complaining of problems shifting gears.

On lap 50 Hamilton sets fast lap. Sainz is struggling on his medium tyres and Ericsson is closing on him.

On lap 53 Rosberg chases Hamilton, 1.5 seconds behind.

On lap 56 Ericsson passes Sainz for eighth place. Hamilton radios to the team whether he should be concerned about fuel consumption.

Hamilton continued to the flag to win ahead of Rosberg and Vettel.