Nico Rosberg wins in Australia

At the end of a race full of twists and turns, Mercedes signed a new double to start this World Championship of F1 2016. By winning on the Albert Park track in Melbourne for the second time after 2014, Nico Rosberg made an excellent start to the season, even if the star team did not have an easy time, particularly against Ferrari.

Author of a bad start when the lights went out, the poleman Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) left the two Ferraris Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen take the first two positions ahead of Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) and Felipe Massa (Williams).

The two Italian cars will lead the first part of the race until the first pit stops on the twelfth lap. If the Scuderia decides to keep super-soft tires for Vettel, Nico Rosberg switches to soft tires, while Lewis Hamilton remains on the track before stopping on the 16th lap and putting on the mediums when Räikkönen chooses the super-softs.

The race will be interrupted on the 19th lap by a red flag following to the spectacular accident between Fernando Alonso (McLaren) and Esteban Gutiérrez (Haas). The two men fighting at the start of braking for turn 3, made contact, Alonso being thrown into the wall then into a rollover, before ending his race in the barriers upside down. The former Ferrari driver ultimately escaped without injuries.

During the interruption, Mercedes took the gamble of putting on the medium tires to try to go to the end of the race with Rosberg. A profitable choice since after the restart, Vettel will not be able to sufficiently widen the gap on his pursuer. The vice-world champion definitively took control of the event after the Ferrari driver's second stop, delayed by a stubborn left front tire, and came out in fourth position behind Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Hamilton.

The Australian's stop allows Hamilton and Vettel to gain a position and the leading trio will not change until the checkered flag, despite a small error from Hamilton offering Vettel the opportunity to get closer within ten final laps. An error by the quadruple world champion at turn 15 two laps from the finish put an end to the suspense.

Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) finished in fourth position ahead of Felipe Massa (Williams). Romain Grosjean (Haas), which took advantage of the red flag to make its only tire change, offers its first points to the American team for its debut. Nico Hulkenberg places its Force India in seventh position ahead Valtteri Bottas (Williams) and the two Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen, who made contact at turn 15 at the end of the race.

The Renault R.S.16 by Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen failed at the points gate in 11th and 12th positions, ahead of Sergio Pérez (Force India), Jenson Button (McLaren), Felipe Nasr (Sauber) and Pascal Wehrlein (Manor) who saw the finish unlike his teammate Rio Haryanto.

Grand Prix to forget on the other hand for Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull), immobilized even before the start, his RB12 being the victim of a mechanical problem when entering the grid, and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) forced to retire a few laps later the restart following the red flag, with flames escaping from the air intake of his SF16-H.

The next Grand Prix will take place on the weekend of April 3.

Australian Grand Prix standings:

1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1h48'15.565

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +8.060s

3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) +9.643s

4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) +24.330s

5. Felipe Massa (Williams) +58.979s

6. Romain Grosjean (Haas) +72.081s

7. Nico Hülkenberg (Force India) +74.199s

8. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) +75.153s

9. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso) +75.680s

10. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) +76.833s

11. Jolyon Palmer (Renault) +83.399s

12. Kevin Magnussen (Renault) +85.606s

13. Sergio Pérez (Force India) +91.699s

14. Jenson Button (McLaren) +1 lap

15. Felipe Nasr (Sauber) +1 lap

16. Pascal Wehrlein (Manor) +1 round

Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) DNF

Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) DNF

Rio Haryanto (Manor) DNF

Esteban Gutiérrez (Haas)DNF

Fernando Alonso (McLaren) DNF

Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull Racing) DNS

Find the report and analysis of the Australian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Melbourne, in issue 2055 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.