Who will be eyeing the top prize in Malaysia?

The 2015 Formula One campaign began as 2014 had ended, with Lewis Hamilton on top of the podium and his team-mate and rival, Nico Rosberg, chasing him home in second place. It gave Mercedes a 1-2 in the opening Grand Prix of the season in Australia.

All the focus now is on the Malaysian grand prix, the second race on the F1 calendar for 2015. Here are those who will be looking to pick up the chequered flag in Asia.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Lewis Hamilton

Defending drivers’ champion Hamilton was the favourite to win his third world title this year and, after picking up maximum points in Australia, his odds got shorter with betfair as he is already topping the leaderboard after leg one of the campaign.

Hamilton knows all about victory at the Sepang International Circuit as he recorded a win there 12 months ago ahead of Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, respectively.

The British driver appeared very confident with his car in Melbourne. He will now be looking to add further pressure to his rivals by picking up his second win of the season in as many starts to establish an early advantage in the 2015 Championship.

Hamilton will be aiming to pick up pole position once again, which, just like last weekend, will give him the opportunity to control the race from the front in Malaysia.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Nico Rosberg

Rosberg will not be too disappointing with the way things ended for him in Australia. After losing out at the front of the grid to his team-mate, it was always going to be difficult to topple his rival. However, he did make sure he picked up the second best prize to record 18 points to his tally.

The German is still looking for his maiden victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix. But he came close in 2014 as he finished second in the race.

It is very important that Rosberg does not let Hamilton get too far out of his sight at the top of the standings. He therefore has to try and match his Championship rival and, at worst, finish second to him to keep the deficit as low as possible in the early stages of the season.

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

Sebastian Vettel debut at Ferrari

The early signs in Melbourne suggested Ferrari could be in for a big season as their Vettel showed a lot of promising points to take third.

Vettel goes into Malaysia bidding for his fourth victory at the venue. Only the English-born John MacDonald with four to his name has more wins, while Alonso and Michael Schumacher are also locked on three successes each.

At the very least, Vettel proved he could be competitive in Australia. This puts him in the mix later this month, if Hamilton and Rosberg make a mistake or fail to finish qualifying at the top of the grid.

The German arguably knows this Sepang International  circuit better than any of the drivers set to line up for the 2015 contest, so you would expect him to be thereabouts come the finish.

Valtteri Bottas (Williams)

Valtteri Bottas

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is still looking for his first victory in Formula One but there were enough signs last season that this will come sooner rather than later. The 25-year-old looks a big talent in the sport.

Bottas was unfortunately not cleared to race in Australia after failing a medical with a back injury. However, a return is expected in Malaysia, where he will be hoping to start his season strongly.

His team-mate, Felipe Massa, finished fourth at the weekend, suggesting the Williams’ car will be competitive this year.

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