If you’re a race fan, you’re likely well aware of the fact that yesterday kicked off the 2009 Formula One race season in Australia. If you have the race TIVO’d and plan on catching it later, then read no further. But for those of you wishing to know how the reigning F1 champion fared in his first race of the season, read on for the full details.
In qualifying, things started out shaky for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. Heikki Kovalainen managed to capture the 12th starting spot on the grid, while Lewis Hamilton started back in 18th after a broken fourth gear demoted him three spots. For Hamilton, this stint at the back of the pack would be short-lived. By the end of the opening lap, Hamilton had managed to improve five spots to 13th. For Heikki, however, things took an immediate turn for the worse, when he was hit by Red Bull Renault’s Mark Webber, the result of which was a broken left front suspension and subsequently, early retirement.
Meanwhile, Hamilton continued working his way through the field, entering the pits on lap 11 from eighth place (12 sec.) and resuming in 15th. On lap 19, an accident of Williams Toyota’s Kazuki Nakajima resulted in the deployment of the Safety Car, and following the race re-start, Hamilton had improved to 10th.
On lap 43, Lewis made his second stop of the day (7.8 sec), resuming in 10th. By lap 52, Hamilton had moved into 7th, following the pit stops of Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso. Two laps later, Lewis improved another position after overtaking Nico Rosberg.
On lap 56, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel collided, resulting in another Safety Car deployment and allowing Hamilton to move into fourth. During this Safety Car period, Hamilton passed Jarno Trulli while he had a short off; however, Lewis let Trulli pass afterwards. On lap 56, the race ended, with Hamilton still in fourth position. Following a review, the race stewards gave Trulli a 25 second penalty as a result of the Safety Car incident; and as a result, Hamilton was awarded third.
Capturing the first win of the season, Brawn Mercedes driver Jenson Button finished first, while his teammate Rubens Barrichello took home second.
To read more about how the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team fared in the Australian GP, keep reading for photos and the official press release
