Australia – Race: Hamilton Wins After Carnage

The 2015 Australian Grand Prix is set to begin under a warm sun, but even before the start of the formation lap, three drivers are already out of the race: Valtteri Bottas, who had to forfeit due to a back injury, Kevin Magnussen whose grid lap ended in smoke, and Daniil Kvyat whose Red Bull stopped on the track, apparently the victim of a gearbox problem, also on his formation lap.

Thus, with only 15 drivers, Formula 1 will start its 66th season, in the absence of the Manor drivers who could not race over the weekend despite being present. The formation lap goes well, even though Sebastian Vettel was slow to start.

At the start, the drivers get off to a good start and maintain their positions, except for Grosjean who suffers from a poor getaway. At the first corner, the two Ferraris slightly impede each other. Räikkönen seems to have difficulty on the re-acceleration: he is slightly hit by a Toro Rosso. The Finn finds himself in the corner with two cars alongside him; Nasr’s Sauber touches the Ferrari and this contact causes the downfall of Maldonado who spins and hits the tire wall. The safety car is deployed and Romain Grosjean has to retire already. After 3 laps, there are 13 cars left on the track.

After three laps, the race is restarted with Hamilton leading Rosberg, Massa, Vettel, and Sainz. The Briton has created a significant gap with his teammate. Behind, Sainz is overtaken by Nasr who finds himself in 5th position. Ricciardo overtakes the Spaniard in turn. Sainz is under threat from Räikkönen. Quickly, the two Mercedes are separated by 2.3 seconds. Massa is 5 seconds behind Hamilton.

A small group has formed behind Felipe Nasr with Ricciardo, Sainz, and Räikkönen holding position. The Finn, in particular, takes the advantage over Sainz in the 8th lap and can begin chasing Ricciardo, who isn’t a truly pressing threat to the Sauber.

After 10 laps, the gap between the Mercedes cars has narrowed at the front, and Rosberg is almost in the DRS zone of his teammate. The same goes for third place, with Vettel less than eight-tenths behind Massa. The battle is also heating up for 6th place as Räikkönen starts closing in on Ricciardo. At the back, a fight for 12th is underway between Button and Pérez, with the Mexican making a move on lap 12, but the 2009 world champion firmly holds his ground. The two drivers even collide on lap 14, causing Pérez to spin; however, he is able to continue.

After 15 laps, Hamilton regained his lead with a 2.5s advantage over Rosberg. Massa is also out of Vettel’s DRS range, while Ricciardo is constantly under pressure from Räikkönen. This benefits Nasr, who now has more than a second’s advantage over the duo. The Ferrari driver pits on the 16th lap, and the stop goes poorly as he is stationary for eight seconds due to a stubborn wheel at the right rear.

After 20 laps, the gap stabilizes between the Mercedes cars, with Hamilton still ahead of Rosberg. Both drivers are lapping one second faster than Massa and Vettel, Nasr confidently holds his 5th place, four seconds ahead of Ricciardo. Further down the field, Ericsson puts pressure on Hülkenberg for 9th place. Massa is the first of the leaders to pit: as he exits, he slots between Ricciardo and Sainz. Vettel takes advantage to increase the pace before his own pit stop. The remaining Red Bull – which was slowing down Massa – pits in the pit lane. Vettel comes in to change tires the following lap, the stop isn’t perfect but Vettel comes out ahead of Massa. Sainz, who was 6th before the pit stops, loses a lot of time in the pits with a rear left wheel that won’t loosen.

After 25 laps, Hamilton, in the lead, makes a pit stop, and the stop goes smoothly. Rosberg stops the following lap, also without any issues. Nasr, who also stopped, came out behind the Verstappen-Räikkönen duo. The Finn easily takes advantage over the Toro Rosso and reclaims the top 5. Button, still holding off Pérez, finally stops at the end of the 27th lap. Ericsson easily overtakes Perez to claim 10th position.

After 30 laps, Hamilton leads Rosberg (+2.5s), Vettel (+14.7s), Massa (+18.4s), and Räikkönen (+29s). The Finn is driving almost a second faster than Massa and his team tells him that the race against the Williams is still possible. Verstappen finally stops in the pits after a long stint on mediums. But immediately after his stop, smoke emerges from the Toro Rosso. The Dutchman retires just before the pit lane in the 34th lap.

After 35 laps, Hamilton and Rosberg are separated by less than two seconds at the front, ahead of Vettel, Massa, and Räikkönen. Sainz is battling with Perez for the final point in tenth place. Lap after lap, Rosberg closes in on Hamilton but is asked to conserve fuel to be able to attack at the end of the race. The Briton takes advantage of this to set the fastest lap and gain some breathing space on the 38th lap. Ricciardo, in 7th, is gaining on Nasr. Perez finally pits and comes out in 12th and last.

After 40 laps, Hamilton is once again 2.5 seconds ahead of Rosberg. Räikkönen stops again. The stop is relatively quick, but the Finn has to stop on track because a wheel wasn’t tightened. There are only 11 cars left on track, including Button who is overtaken by Perez but is thus one place away from points.

After 47 laps, Hamilton now has less than a two-second lead over Rosberg. Behind them, Vettel and Massa are within three seconds of each other. Nasr, in 5th, has pulled ahead of Ricciardo (+3s). For Button, in 11th, problems are mounting but the McLaren Honda is still running. In the pack, Ericsson is rapidly catching up to Sainz, in 8th, who is struggling with the tires.

Five laps from the end, Rosberg came back to 1.5s from Hamilton. And Ericsson caught up with Sainz, who was struggling with his machine. The Swede eventually passed in the 56th lap. Hamilton, for his part, regained a two-second lead with two laps to go.

Lewis Hamilton wins ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. It is the 34th victory for the double World Champion, the 30th victory for a Mercedes in F1, and the first one-two finish of the season.

Australian Grand Prix 2015 – Standings