The first grand prix of the season is already archived but much has been said about how the event unfolded.
All seemed in place up to qualifying until latecomers Manor-Marussia missed out due to a glitch in the software that starts up the engine, and Finnish Williams driver Valterri Bottas was ruled out by the FIA with back pain.
McLaren Honda were already in the doldrums, qualifying last on the grid, and it is still uncertain whether their driver Fernando Alonso will make it for the next race in Malaysia. Unusual circumstances which led to a rather strange accident during pre-season testing left the Spaniard suffering from concussion.
Replacement driver Kevin Magnusson, having been dropped by the team in January, was looking forward to this unexpected opportunity but was left to walk back to the paddock halfway during the formation lap after his car engine starting smoking.
Honda seem to have an engine which is still rather fragile and just not ready to merge with the McLaren chassis.
Jenson Button was trailing at the back, and with a four-second delay per lap and being lapped twice, he was surely out of the points.
On the plus side, the team collected a lot of data to try and understand more this difficult marriage.
It was not just McLaren that suffered. Upbeat Australian Daniel Riccardo had a slow start and it was just a case of keeping it all together. Team-mate Daniil Kvyat lost hydraulics on the formation lap, so that left 15 cars on the grid.
Next to stop on the first lap was the Lotus duo with the unfortunate Maldonado being rear bumped into the barriers and team-mate Grosjean retiring.
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton kept the lead throughout the race, ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, and is looking set for a third title.
Sebastian Vettel’s inaugural race with Ferrari brought him on the podium, having overtaken Williams’ Felipe Massa during the pit stops.
Williams could not close the gap on the Ferrari even though it is powered by a Mercedes engine. Vettel was still 34.523 seconds behind the leader, which according to the layout of the circuit in Melbourne is a lot. I just wonder what the advantage will be in Malaysia with two long straights.
Entertainment was provided by Sauber rookie driver Felipe Nasr. Last year Sauber did not score one single point, and in Melbourne both cars took points. Sauber, powered by a Ferrari engine, clearly show that Ferrari have improved in the engine department.
Talking about Ferrari, it was quite a shame that Raikkonen had to retire with a faulty wheel replacement. The Finn seems to have adapted himself well with Ferrari SF15T. Both drivers seem to be working well together and this augurs well for the team.
Mercedes are in a league of their own with recent championship winners Red Bull threatening to quit, unless changes in regulations are implemented to relegate Mercedes power to benefit the rest of the group.
Next stop is Malaysia, where power is a major factor and hopefully the return of Alonso.