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Hamilton storms to victory at the Australian GP as world champion begins title defence by leaving Rosberg trailing in opener

Lewis Hamilton storms to victory at the Australian GP as world champion leaves Nico Rosberg trailing in F1 season opener 

• Lewis Hamilton dominated the first race of the campaign to open up his championship defence with a win
• Nico Rosberg completed a Mercedes one-two, but the German was no match for his team-mate 
• Sebastian Vettel secured the final podium spot on his Ferrari debut with Felipe Massa 4th for Williams 
• Jenson Button finished 11th and last after nursing his McLaren home... only 15 cars started in Melbourne

You wait half a lifetime to see the Terminator, and then two come along at once. Standing on the top step of the podium was the indestructible human-looking phenomenon of legend, and next to him stood Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Lewis Hamilton, of course, was the second terminator, the crushing victor of the Australian Grand Prix that gave him the perfect start in his attempt to become the first British driver to successfully defend the Formula One world championship.

He has hung about with stars of the screen, fashion and music through a winter of a paparazzo’s dream, but here he was after 58 laps he had rendered as interesting as counting sheep, the supreme driver of the moment. 

Although his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg put in some fastest laps, Hamilton seemed to be holding back, doing all he needed with measure and control. But for his one and only pit stop, he led throughout after effectively winning the race with a dominant pole position on Saturday. Rosberg was second, with Sebastian Vettel third on his Ferrari debut.

‘Lewis made no mistakes,’ said Rosberg. ‘I wasn’t able to get close to him, let alone try to overtake.’

If there was any downside to Hamilton’s victory it was the possibility it raised of a one-sided season, or at least, if Rosberg can find form, an internal duel. For these Mercedes are so invulnerable they could take you to all four corners of the Earth and back without so much as a splutter.

Vettel was 34 seconds behind Hamilton, who, on this track, put Stevenage on the map with a breathtaking first few corners of daring and precision in his debut Formula One race eight years ago. The TV cameras barely focused on the Mercedes because routine genius can be boring to behold. 

Not only that but damaging to the sport, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

He is one of the most intelligent and garlanded figures in the sport but he might be considered something of a hostile witness for Formula One given his vested interest in the revival of his struggling team. But he deserves a hearing.

‘When we were winning — and we were never winning with an advantage that Mercedes have — double diffusers were banned, exhausts were moved, flexible bodywork was banned, engine mapping was changed mid-season,’ said Horner. ‘Anything was done to pull us back. That was not just us; it was done to McLaren and Williams in other years. 

‘Is it healthy to have a situation like this? Take nothing from Mercedes, they have done a super job. The problem is that the gap is so big that you end up with three-tier racing and that is not healthy for Formula One.

‘The FIA can see the power output that every engine is producing. They have the facts and they could quite easily come up with a way of a form of equalisation.’

Yes, but is the pursuit of, and reward for, perfection not Formula One’s raison d’etre?

Any late risers among the insomniac petrol-heads watching the race live early in Sunday’s British morning would have missed the greatest excitements of the day: the pre-race rate of withdrawal. 

Kevin Magnussen, driving for the tardy McLaren team, did not even manage to make it on to the grid. His Honda-powered engine gave up on him soon after he left the garage, sending smoke into the warm air.

Within seconds of that, Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull gearbox packed in. This was a another blow for a team already angered by engine supplier Renault’s failure to improve on last year’s power unit.

With Manor not even having taken part in qualifying, and Williams’ Valtteri Bottas having pulled out with a bad back, only 15 cars started the grand prix.

Although Hamilton safely negotiated the opening lap, Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari caught Felipe Nasr’s Sauber, which then clipped Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus. It clunked into the wall, ending the Venezuelan’s participation. We were down to 14 cars.

Maldonado’s team-mate Romain Grosjean was then wheeled into the garage after suffering power failure. Make that 13.

Max Verstappen, the history-making Toro Rosso man, was next to go. ‘Smoke in the car,’ said the 17-year-old, anxiously. We were down to 12 .

Raikkonen’s afternoon ended when a second shoddy pit stop left him with a barely fitted left rear wheel. Now there were merely 11.

Lo and behold, this meant Jenson Button was in contention for points having started at the very back of the grid. But he could do no more than finish 11th and last in a McLaren-Honda that remains in a lamentably early stage of development.

But he believes, to borrow a phrase, they will be back.