Summary

  • Hamilton on pole, Rosberg 2nd, Vettel 3rd, Raikkonen 4th

  • New qualifying elimination format ends with no cars on the track

  • Format comes under criticism as drivers choose not to respond to times set

  • Kvyat out in Q1, McLarens out in Q2, Toro Rossos in Q3

  • Race live on 5 live and online on Sunday from 03:30 GMT

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

  1. Hamilton calm, Rosberg frustrated

    Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer

    Nico RosbergAP

    Could Nico Rosberg maintain his late-2015 momentum into a new season and take the fight to team-mate Lewis Hamilton? 

    That was one of the key questions ahead of the start of this championship. But it was Hamilton who hit the ground running in Australia. Almost nonchalantly fastest in both sessions, he oozed a sense of relaxed purpose. 

    Rosberg, by contrast, had a bad start, crashing early in second practice and wiping the front wing off his car. The German admitted that was “not good, for sure”. 

    And did team boss Toto Wolff betray a hint of frustration when he said Rosberg had “lost the front wing unfortunately in circumstances we should have maybe avoided”? Wolff admitted “psychologically, a first little step for the Hammer”. But added: “It is early days. Nico wouldn’t be where he is if a scrappy Friday would cause him some headaches.”    

  3. BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

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  4. Coming up

    OK, so one hour of what will most likely be a busy final practice gets under way at 03:00 GMT, and you can listen to commentary on 5 live sports extra and online from five minutes before.

    Then, after a short break, qualifying begins at 06:00, with our coverage starting at 05:00.

  5. Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer

    F1F1.com

    This was the scene in the pitlane this morning, but it has been drying up

    There was a sense of frustration around Formula 1 on Friday afternoon in Albert Park. 

    Everyone had been waiting for the first real sense of where the cars lay in comparison to each other, and the hopes of seeing it were washed away by the intermittent rain that passed through the city. 

    Every time the sun came out and the track seemed on the point of drying, another shower came and that pattern continued to the end of the session. 

    There has been more rain this morning but the day is expected to become progressively drier ahead of qualifying at 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT). 

  6. F1Rex Features

    OK, I hold my hands up. Yesterday was not a complete non-event, Nico Rosberg pranged the barriers and lost his front wing. 

    Overall, though, it was not the all singing all dancing start to the season we perhaps hoped for, thanks to the mixed Melbourne weather.

    The good thing is, though, such limited running on Friday means there will be plenty to do and element of the unknown today.

    Plus, there is the new and not at all overly complicated qualifying format to look forward to...

  7. Let's start again, shall we?

    A summary of the first day of the season:

    Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened, oooh a duck!

    F1F1.com

    Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened. Lewis Hamilton finishes fastest.

    Lewis HamiltonGetty Images