Charles Leclerc is having problems, he went off on the grass. "An expensive grass cutter." as Sky's David Croft said.

Ferrari say there's no damage detected at the moment.

Image source, F1 Twitter

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

Valtteri Bottas was very quick in qualifying and this week he has been much closer to Lewis Hamilton than he was at the end of last season. This is a race that Bottas could control from the front.

Image source, Getty Images

Zak Brown on the pitwall speaking to Sky Sports, says: "Well as you saw, Lando dropped a couple of slots at the first corner, and Carlos (Sainz) had a good start. "

On Daniel Ricciardo's crash: "It was a close call and Lando got through plainly, Carlos had a little touch but both cars are running well now."

RE pitstops: "If someone doesn't make a move soon, then we may do that ourselves."

He keeps repeatedly lapping new fastest times. He's going for the points, AND the extra points.

And of course to drive off into the Australian sunset.

Go Bottas, you deserve it!

Image source, Getty Images

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

Overtaking is not easy here, but Daniel Ricciardo is the man for it.

Chequered Flag: Phew! Finally, a humongous start from Valtteri Bottas After all that hammering that he received in 2018! Go!

Kayleigh: Yes go on Bottas! What’s happened to Danny Ric?!

Jeremiah: Brilliant start by Bottas! Ricciardo has a long afternoon!

Ricciardo's engineer: "We have some damage on the right hand side so there might be some load loss."

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

There's a lot of debris on the start/finish straight. The guys are working on Daniel Ricciardo's car.

Bottas really meant it when he said he was going to be the wildcard this year. He's just set the fastest lap time and we're only on 3/58.

Daniel has pitted for some new parts.

Image source, Getty Images

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

Daniel Ricciardo is the big loser in his home race, he must have been pushed wide on to the grass, but Nico Hulkenberg, his team-mate had a good start, moving up to eighth. It was super tight at Turn 1.

Yes, you read that correct, Valtteri Bottas got off to a better start from P2 and he leads the Australian Grand Prix! Isn't this exciting!

Yellow flagpublished at 05:14 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2019

05:14 GMT 17 March 2019

Daniel Ricciardo got a bit excited and completely ruined his front wing, meters after setting off as he went onto the grass.

Ian: Morning chaps/chapessess

James Agar: Can't wait to see the new Brits Norris, Russell do over the season.

Chris Doherty: Still can't believe we have a McLaren in the top 10 for the first time since the first half of last season, and it could have been two if Sainz didn't get caught up in Kubica's incident on his final run.

Emma Tennant:I'm awake, I think, listening to #bbcf1, external again for the #AusGP, external Got work in a few hours time as well, hope I don't regret getting up this early

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live

It's not a conventional race track, a sort of a street circuit feel, it is bumpy, with a lot of chicanes, compared to the billiard-table smooth tracks we go to for most of the season.

Sebastian Vettel starts third behind the first two Mercedes and has to make up a bit of pace.

Mercedes are seven tenths clear of the field, but they didn't win last season - it is somewhere where anything can happen. The pace of the Mercedes looks phenomenal but it is not just the pace that wins you this race.