On reflection: Australian Grand Prix

Rosberg makes most of disappointing weekend

Let us be honest here, Nico Rosberg was outclassed by Lewis Hamilton throughout the opening weekend of the season.

The German crashed in free practice, finished 0.3s behind Hamilton in qualifying and struggled to get on par with the Ferrari pair in the early stages of the race.

So, to come back and win, albeit with a lot of luck, is a great sign for his season. Rosberg has started poorly in the past two years and this has affected the championship fight heavily.

His victory here, his fourth in a row counting including last season, is the perfect platform for him to build. If he can cash in when he is on form and cut his losses when not, then we could be set for a real title race.

Tyres bring excitement

F1 is getting massacred from all angles for the lack of leadership shown, the frustrating lack of progress shown in meetings and the debacle surrounding qualifying.

But let us praise it for the new tyre system introduced.

The new concept, of including three tyre compounds per weekend as opposed to the previous two, is fantastic. The racing was exciting, strategies were split and we, at home, were on the edge of our seats.

The confusion and variations will only last a handful of races, but, until then, bring it on.

Ferrari need to sharpen up

What a chance Ferrari blew on Sunday! All they had to do was copy Mercedes and they would have probably won the Australian Grand Prix.

Instead, they were put on the wrong tyres. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen couldn’t create a gap ahead of Rosberg and the race was lost.

If Mercedes really do have the speed advantage that F1 fears, then chances of a Ferrari win are slim already. But if they don’t and Ferrari are in the fight, then this is a real blow.

To win titles, you have to be sharper than that.

Williams will have better weekends

On initial inspection, things are a little underwhelming at Williams after an average first race of the season. It already looks like they have taken a step back from Mercedes and Ferrari.

But let us not judge them too soon. Williams always tend to do better at bigger, wider, longer tracks where their powerful engine can have a greater affect.

Expect them to improve in Malaysia.

McLaren lack race craft

After a season of struggling at the back, it was a welcome surprise to see McLaren semi-competitive again. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button look like they have a car capable of regular points.

But the men sitting on the pit wall need a kick up the arse. Along with Ferrari, they made a bonkers decision to run super soft tyres when everyone chose the more durable mediums.

Jenson Button, the only remaining McLaren after Alonso crashed out, limped around towards the back again all because of that one decision.

There should have been smiles all round at the chequered flag. Instead, the feeling of misery was all too familiar.

Debutantes all did well

Well done to Rio Haryanto, Pascal Wehrlein and Jolyon Palmer. All did well on their debuts and confirmed the theory that this is the strongest F1 grid in a decade.

Palmer comfortably outperformed Kevin Magnussen, once tipped for a world title with McLaren, while Wehrlein and Haryanto did Manor Racing proud.

Keep it up.

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