Lewis Hamilton seems determined to start this season as he finished the last, with a dominating qualifying on the soft Perrelli tyres. Teammate Nico Rosberg’s efforts were sloppy at best yet such is Mercedes advantage carried over from last year that hostel managed second spot on the grid, a full eight tenths ahead of this spot Felipe Massa.

The order from that point is much much closer with Massa, Ferraris Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen all within a tenth of a second of each other. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas could have hoped for better but the Finn’s car snapped dramatically on the exit of the final corner, losing him time on the run to the line.

Hamilton melbourne Q1 F12015

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo recovered from what had been a difficult weekend so far to place seventh on home soil, the Australian doing just enough to prevent himself being out-qualified by leading Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz, the rookie driver impressing to not only crack Q3 but secure a spot on row four in eighth. 

Lotus drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado fill out the remaining top ten on the grid despite the rookies behind bitting at their heals all the way.

McLaren’s first qualifying session in their Honda powered cars was difficult to watch, with both Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen being dumped out of Q1, more than three seconds off the pace despite their soft tyres. We can only hope that this will be the last time we see the Mclaren’s flying Kiwi logo on the last row of the grid. 

Qualifying results

Full qualifying results for the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship (F1), the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. 

1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 26.327s 
2. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 26.921s 
3. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes 1m 27.718s 
4. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 27.757s 
5. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 27.790s 
6. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes 1m 28.087s 
7. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault 1m 28.329s 
8. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 28.510s 
9. Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus-Mercedes 1m 28.560s 
10. Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes 1m 29.480s 

11. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari 1m 28.800s 
12. Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 28.868s 
13. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault 1m 29.070s 
14. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes 1m 29.208s 
15. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes 1m 29.209s 

16. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari 1m 31.376s 
17. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda 1m 31.422s 
18. Kevin Magnussen DEN McLaren-Honda 1m 32.037s 
19. Will Stevens GBR Manor Marussia-Ferrari no time 
20. Roberto Merhi ESP Manor Marussia-Ferrari no time 

all times unofficial via Crash.net

2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix Cheat Sheet

File 14-03-15 12 12 19 pm

 

Roger Baillie (@Rojn8r)

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Roger Baillie
Brought up in a world of Mini's, road trips, rallying and tinkering it is unsurprising that among my passions, since I can remember, cars have been something very special to me. The way they look, the way they smell and especially the way the sound. This passion has grown over the years from a spectator's seat at Formula 1 and WRC events to active participation in events such as the Cannonball Run NZ and Stance Off Events. My current love affair is with a slightly tuned Mk4 Golf GTI which brings me nothing but joy on the road. This love for driving and cars has led me start a Podcast dedicated to my love of driving called Drive Life NZ where I hope to share my story while exploring the varied stories of other enthusiasts. Dispelling the myths surrounding car people and celebrating our diversity.

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