Five minutes to go. Will we see a Manor car out on the circuit for the first time in Australia?

Image source, Mercedes

Nico Rosberg and his fellow drivers may be readying themselves for third practice now but earlier some of them met the fans under the glorious Melbourne sun, with Rosberg sweet talking the crowd while signing autographs by saying: "You deserve it - the organisation here is the best all year."

I bet you say that at all the circuits Nico...

Image source, Mercedes

Mercedes:, external Traditional warm-up in progress for Nico Rosberg.

Right then, time to see who is awake for those of you following in the UK.

What, if anything, do you think we have learned so far in Australia?

How do you see the first qualifying session of 2015 going? Whose your tip for pole and, if we expect it to be a Mercedes one-two, who will be third fastest?

Let us know via the usual methods, on Twitter via #bbcf1,, external text us on 81111 (UK only) or pop a message on our Facebook and Google+ pages.

Qualifying gets under way at 06:00 GMT today but first up is third practice, and we will start to see the cars rolling out on to the circuit for the one hour session in a little over 13 minutes.

Giedo van der Garde posted this statement about the decision on Facebook:, external

"With respect to the interest of motorsport, and F1 in particular, I have decided to give up my legal rights to race this weekend at the Melbourne Grand Prix.

"As I am a passionate race driver this decision has been very difficult for me.

"However I also wish to respect the interest of the FIA, Sauber Motorsport, as well as Nasr and Ericsson.

"My management will continue talks with Sauber early next week to find a mutually acceptable solution for the current situation that has now arisen.

"I am confident such solution will be found and I will inform the media once done."

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne

"In a surprise to no-one within the Formula 1 paddock, Sauber have come to a deal with Giedo Van Der Garde overnight and the Dutchman has dropped his legal action against the team in Australia.

"There are no details as yet, but for now Sauber can race here without the threat of having their assets seized or team principal Monisha Kaltenborn being arrested and Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr will be in the cars."

With practice itself a straightforward affair on Friday, it was left to events off the circuit to provide the day's drama, and what drama it was too.

Giedo van der Garde had been involved in a legal dispute with Sauber, with the Dutch driver claiming he had a valid contract to race for the team, a claim that was backed up by an Australian court.

Image source, Getty Images

That led to farcical scenes on Friday, when Van der Garde rocked up at the circuit and was seen waiting to get a paddock pass sorted and then appeared in the Sauber garage wearing his race overalls and having a seat made.

Image source, Getty Images

Consequently, Friday ended with uncertainty over who, if anyone, would drive for Sauber this weekend. However, there has been a significant development in the matter today, as our chief F1 writer Andrew Benson explains...

Image source, Mercedes

The Australian Grand Prix is, unsurprisingly, back page news in Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, with their main headline 'Silver Bullet' highlighting Mercedes' dominance in practice.

"It took just 45 minutes for the Silver Arrows to snuff out any sign of resistance at Albert Park," said the paper's editorial on Friday practice., external

"Just when it looked as if Ferrari might have the pace to challenge Mercedes-Benz, raising the prospect of a real race in the Australian Grand Prix tomorrow, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton rolled into action."

Nico Rosberg's benchmark lap of 1:27.697 on Friday was more than a second faster than the best effort of Sebastian Vettel, who was third fastest for Ferrari.

It was also just shy of being a full two seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton's benchmark of 1:29.625 in Friday practice last year.

Ominous.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne

Image source, Mercedes

"It could hardly be a more perfect day for the first competitive action the new season. Bright blue Australian skies, glorious sunshine, and temperatures in the high 20Cs. The downtown skyscrapers as a backdrop, Albert Park looks at its most perfect as Formula 1 prepares to reveal what may be in store for the new season.

"There are not too many secrets, though. Mercedes are clearly on a separate level from the rest, but the fight between Ferrari and Williams looks incredibly tight. If Daniel Ricciardo gets some miles can he bring Red Bull into that fight after a difficult Friday?"

Image source, Australian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix:, external There's nothing like seeing the sun rise over the Australian Grand Prix circuit on F1 qualifying day is there?

Hello! Welcome to our coverage of Australian Grand Prix qualifying day.

There was a familiar look to the top of the timesheets in Friday's two practice sessions with the Silver Arrows leading the way.

Nico Rosberg was fastest in both FP1 and FP2, with his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton second fastest and all signs point to a shootout between the two for pole today...

Image source, Getty Images

Should we just be done with it and get the Mercedes' badge stuck on to the Constructors' Championship trophy now?

We've had just 180 minutes of track action this season and already the Mercedes look set to pick up from where they left off in 2014, as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton dominated Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix, without really breaking into a sweat.

Can anyone, ANYONE, challenge them?