Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne

"Lewis Hamilton's low-key public demeanour this winter has belied a man who says he is 'generally happy' and is clearly very determined to win a third world title. He was in a sunny mood when we spoke for his BBC Sport column on Thursday. And there was a moment of levity in the official news conference when Max Verstappen's age was discussed. 'I've only just realised I'm the oldest driver here for the first time,' Hamilton said. Then he turned to the Dutchman and said: 'You were born in '97?' 'Yup,' Verstappen replied. 'Jeez,' Hamilton said. 'I signed my first contract with McLaren then. Wow.'"

Remember this from last year? Lewis Hamilton getting stopped and asked for his pass at the entrance to the paddock.

The poor old security chap might have had a few post-it notes stuck up around the entrance this time reminding him not to stop the drivers, but he has still had his work cut out this year, with extra drivers looking to get in.

This was Giedo van der Garde waiting to get his credentials sorted earlier today.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

We've got 15 minutes until second practice gets under way at a gloriously sunny Melbourne, enough time for you to have a gander at the highlights from first practice. We've got them online now.

Image source, Getty Images

Lotus:, external One of the few things that can bring an entire F1 paddock to a standstill... Is it a plane, is it a bird?!!

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne

"The chat in the paddock in the break between sessions has focused on Sauber, who are in all sorts of trouble over the legal case involving Giedo van der Garde. The team are batting away all inquiries with a firm 'no comment' but it is all getting rather messy.

"The latest ruling is due any moment and team principal Monisha Kaltenborn risks arrest for contempt of court, and the team could even have their assets frozen.

"Everyone is watching developments with interest, while expressing bemusement at how a team run by a lawyer could apparently have five drivers under contract for this season - Van Der Garde, nominated race drivers Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, and last year's drivers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez. It remains to be seen whether the team try to run in practice two."

Image source, Getty Images

Sauber drivers Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson spent a period of first practice sitting patiently in their respective cars for an OK to head out that never came.

The ongoing saga with Giedo van der Garde's claim for a Sauber seat continues.

A court ruling says he should be allowed to compete this weekend, but it is unclear whether Sauber will drop one of their current drivers to accommodate Van der Garde in Melbourne, or race with Ericsson and Nasr, risking contempt of court.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne

"It's a glorious day in Melbourne, but the outlook is not sunny for anyone hoping Mercedes will face a challenge this season. If anything, the world champions appear even further ahead than they were in 2014. As for the teams behind them, Williams as expected appear to be in the best shape. We will learn more in the next hour and a half, when the teams will also do some race preparation."

Hello! Welcome back to our coverage of Australian Grand Prix practice.

Manage a snooze? Just got up? Whichever it is, here is a brief summary of the key points from first practice.

• Mercedes dominate with Nico Rosberg fastest

• Williams's Valtteri Bottas was third

• Engine problem cuts short McLaren's session

• No running for either Sauber or Manor

So what did we learn from that session? Not a great deal more than we already knew. Mercedes look dominant as expected while it was more of the same for McLaren.

Carlos Sainz Jr and Max Verstappen showed plenty of promise, with the Toro Rosso pair finishing the session fourth and sixth respectively.

Probably the biggest amount of intrigue related to the cars that did not do any running during the session - Sauber and Manor. Will they get out in FP2? We shall see.

Have a power nap, grab a bite to eat. We'll be back at 05:00 GMT ahead of second practice, which begins at 05:30. See you then!

Image source, Williams

Williams:, external A good start to the weekend. Now we go to work between sessions to prepare for FP2.

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren will probably be happy just to finish the Australian Grand Prix, let alone win it, but it is a race they have a good record at.

They've won 11 Australian GPs, with our very own David Coulthard claiming his final race win in Melbourne back in 2003.

But as Jason suggests, there is still a cloud of gloom lingering over the team after a very bitty first practice.

Jason Lewis: Not looking good for McLaren-Honda, five seconds off the pace and spent half FP1 in the garage with the engine cover off.

1) N Rosberg: 1:29.557 2) L Hamilton: 1:29.586 3) V Bottas: 1:30.748 4) C Sainz: 1:31.014 5) S Vettel: 1:31.029

6) M Verstappen: 1:31.067 7) F Massa: 1:31.188 8) K Raikkonen: 1:31.310 9) P Maldonado: 1:31.451 10) D Ricciardo: 1:31.570

11) D Kvyat: 1:32.073 12) S Perez: 1:32.247 13) N Hulkenberg: 1:32.261 14) J Button: 134.542 15) K Magnussen: 1:34.785 16) R Grosjean: 2:17.782

The first practice session ends with a Virtual Safety Car procedure, new for 2015 after trial runs in practice last year.

NICO ROSBERG FINISHES FASTEST IN FIRST PRACTICE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX.

The chequered flag is out to signal the end of first practice, with Mercedes top of the pile.

Sebastian Vettel has a little nibble of the gravel coming through Turn 12 but it does not stop him from clocking his best time of the day - a 1:31.029 which is enough to move him up to fifth.

Spurge: Best looking car? Mansell's Williams FW14… absolute classic, maybe where the inspiration for Sauber's C34 colour scheme came from?

Matthew Thomas: The 1995 Ferrari. If not the best looking then definitely the best sounding car.

Elton Lam #79: The 7-Up livery Jordan 191. Beautiful. I bet EJ agrees!

Allan McNish
BBC Radio 5 live analyst

"The Ferrari looks to be a bit more precise and direct, they point and it and it goes somewhere compared to last year where they had to anticipate what it was going to do."