Vettel wins after leapfrogging Hamilton in pits
Hamilton second, Bottas third
Grosjean, Palmer, Ericsson out
Ricciardo, Stroll, Alonso also retired
Image source, Getty ImagesA huge roar in the skies above Melbourne as planes whizz over in formation. At least one of those pilots has a message of support for Daniel Ricciardo stuck on his helmet.
Image source, APIs there anything that stops Daniel Ricciardo smiling?
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne is celebrating his birthday today and has been given a cake ahead of the race. He turns the grand old age of 25.
It's chocolate, salted caramel and mandarin, in case you were wondering.
Image source, AFP
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne
Image source, Getty ImagesAmong the stand-out performances in qualifying was surely that by Romain Grosjean in sixth place in the Haas. “It was quite an unbelievable qualifying session for us,” the Frenchman said. “It’s a shame. The car is looking good, even better than what we’ve seen recently. From seventh realistically, because Ricciardo went out, to 14th is pretty tight. It is going to be intense.”
It was a performance that surprised some of their midfield rivals. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat said: "They were normal in Q1 and Q2, but then in Q3 it was a very strong lap. Let’s hope it's just a lap of his life.”
Team-mate Kevin Magnussen went off at Turn 12 on consecutive laps in Q1 and will start 17th. The Dane said he was “disappointed” with himself.
Meanwhile in Melbourne, there are some clouds in the sky but not of the dark, gloomy variety. Rain looks unlikely for the race.
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Excellent scenes. My colleagues sat in a pitch-black and chilly Salford at BBC Sport towers will love this one.
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne
The cars have been spectacular to watch out on track this weekend - and they are so much faster than last year that even the television pictures are giving a decent impression of awe-inspiring speed, especially when they catch the moment of change of direction. After qualifying, the drivers were revelling in what they had just done. “It’s incredible,” said Lewis Hamilton, “the best I have ever experienced here. The grip is fantastic, the aero is fantastic, you can really push deep into these corners and it’s amazing not to have the car sliding around the on the low-grip tyres we had in the past.”
And the challenge extends to more than just high-speed thrills. "The only problem is when you lose it, it's more difficult to catch because of the wide tyres,” Max Verstappen said. “It's difficult to get it back. That's the only thing. In general, when you keep it in the right track it is actually a lot more fun.”
In the race, drivers will be pushed to their limits for the first time in a long time. “Those cars are real monsters,” Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said. “I think you can see that on the onboard, the cornering speeds are very impressive and we will see tomorrow in the first race how physical they actually are and how much it takes out of the driver.”
Image source, AFP
Image source, ReutersAlain Prost is in the house. He's a two-time winner of the Australian Grand Prix, winning it in 1986 and 1988.
Here he is winning it in the McLaren. Halcyon days.
Image source, Getty Images
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst
"There is a long way to go for Lewis Hamilton despite him getting on pole with Sebastian Vettel alongside him and a new starting procedure that puts more emphasis on the drivers it is going to be a cracking first lap.
"The margin by which Hamilton is on pole is smaller than was expected. And this Ferrari looks a useful bit of kit under the control of Vettel."
BBC Radio 5 live's coverage is up and running. You can tune in at the top of this page.
Bob Fernley, we salute you. The sort of trousers you see while wandering through the Northern Quarter in Manchester.
Image source, .What's your F1 following set up today? Headphones on in bed trying to not wake your partner? Poolside somewhere exotic or actually at the race?
Let us know and feel free to send pictures and also your predictions for today to #bbcf1
Sportsphotogtapher: Losing an hour on a Sunday morning is tough but it also means we get to the start of the #AusGP, external 60 minutes earlier
Joanna Harran: Good morning all. Happy first race of the season. Hope it's a good one (and worth being up in the middle of the night).
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne
So far, Valtteri Bottas has made a very accomplished debut for Mercedes. Going up against Lewis Hamilton is no picnic for anyone in any circumstances, but in his first race, at a track where Hamilton is brilliant, Bottas is within 0.3 seconds in qualifying.
He looked a bit down about it, saying he set his standards very high and it was never a good thing for the team to have another car between the two drivers on the grid. But, surely, when he reflects, he will be proud.
It was all the more impressive that he did what he did after what was clearly a difficult Friday, when he was half a second off Hamilton. How had he responded? “He's competitive and probably setting his own targets,” Wolff said. “He was very focused, that is one of his strengths. You need the talent to drive this car on the edge with the right speed and then you need to have the diligence and the understanding of doing the office job right. And I think there was never any doubt on him being able to drive the car fast and now it's about putting the dots together and learning and developing and so far he didn't do any mistakes. He kept driving and you can see how the times are coming together.”
Let's not forget Valtteri Bottas. It's a massive day for the new Mercedes driver as he looks to prove his worth at reigning champions.
He was way off Lewis Hamilton on Friday but was much closer on Saturday. Can he spring a surprise?
Image source, Rex FeaturesLewis Hamilton has just been speaking to the fans during the drivers' parade.
"G'day everyone," he said. "It is great to be here and the weather is superb. You never wish time to fly by, but I'm excited to get going. This is what I live for. You always get some amazing energy from the crowd here."
BBC Radio 5 live
Image source, .Jack Nicholls is back from having a wander down the pitlane and live with build up on BBC Radio 5 live now.
Listen on t'radio or online.
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Melbourne
one theory to explain Red Bull's situation revolves around a rules clarification over the winter that forced they and Mercedes to remove complex hydraulic suspension systems on their cars that aided their aerodynamic stability, following a request from Ferrari to the FIA. The theory is that as Red Bull were believed to be using this system to stall their diffuser on the straights - increasing straight-line speed and therefore allowing them to run more downforce in the corners than would otherwise be workable - it has disproportionately affected them. But the team dismiss this. Daniel Ricciardo said: “I think if Ferrari were dominating and if Mercedes dropped back a bit, we could maybe say 'yeah, look, we've lost a key component'. But the fact Mercedes is still quick, I probably wouldn't put it down to that. There hasn't been talk of that within the team, no.”