1) McLaren are dire
We never expected McLaren to be up there with the big boys – although they should be – but we didn’t expect them to come in last, coughing and spluttering like an also-ran in Wacky Races. OK, so they had a Mercedes power unit last year and Honda is a whole new deal. However, Honda were working on this engine all last year. What were they doing? McLaren should have gone to Derek Trotter.
2) Red Bull are bad losers
They haven’t had much practice in the past few years but threatening to quit the sport after only one race is the sort of spoiled attitude for which you would reprimand a child. They should be told they have signed a contract until 2020 and made to stand in the corner for the next race in Malaysia. Before worrying about Mercedes they should attempt to catch up with Williams and Ferrari – and be looking over their shoulder for Lotus.
3) Formula One is poor value
This is the pinnacle of motor sport but sometimes it gives frighteningly poor value for money. Other series are cheaper to watch and are often much more exciting. Only 75% of the cars turned up on the grid on Sunday and then four of the 15 starters dropped out – and that’s not counting Sauber, who at one point looked likely to have their cars taken away by the bailiffs. As for the “race”, it was nothing of the sort, only a test run in the sun for Mercedes. This was no way to recapture declining TV audiences but don’t heap all the blame on Bernie Ecclestone. He doesn’t control the sport as he once did.
4) Hamilton is a whole class above Rosberg
Mercedes and some pundits like to stress the closeness of this rivalry but Lewis has Nico in his pocket. When Hamilton is on it he is too good for Rosberg, or anyone else for that matter, certainly in this car. Rosberg is admirable but Hamilton has the X-factor of the champion driver. He is, however, incident-prone, rather than accident-prone. Things happen to him, and it’s often not even his fault, and that’s our only chance of an exciting battle for the championship.
5) Williams and Ferrari are the best of the rest
Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish and Valtteri Bottas didn’t even get started but they and Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel did enough over the weekend to suggest there could be some good battles for the third podium place this season. James Allison, the brilliant British designer, has done a good job at Ferrari, while Williams are in the mood to consolidate on last season’s rise from ninth to third.
6) Vettel is back
Even in testing there were signs that Vettel had regained his spark after a disappointing defence of his title last year. He won a well-deserved podium place in the season’s opener and also showed his friend and team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, how ruthless he can be in the heat of battle. The Ferrari looks reborn – and Vettel along with it. On both counts that is good news for Formula One.
7) Trust the kids
If you’re good enough you’re old enough, they say, and the rookies had an excellent time in Melbourne, only to be let down by their equipment in some cases. Many people were worried that Max Verstappen was too young for this game, at 17, but he showed his pace over the weekend, while Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Nasr also had impressive moments. Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen must feel ancient at 35 apiece.
8) It wasn’t Manor from heaven
It was one of the most romantic comebacks in the history of Formula One. Marussia went into administration in October and nobody really thought they would see them again but three weeks is not long enough to build a car, and the Manor garage was as quiet as a village library on Sunday. Now the cynics are suggesting that they only went to Melbourne to pick up their £30m prize money from last season. If Manor are to dispel such dark thoughts they will have to come out fighting in Malaysia.
9) Melbourne is the only place to start the season
This is arguably the greatest sporting city in the world and ideal to launch the F1 season. They really know their sport here and appreciate their F1. It’s just a pity they didn’t get a better show. The great thing about a street circuit is that it fully engages the city it is held in – unlike those far-flung, white-elephant stadiums that are usually half-empty because spectators can’t be bothered to make the long trek. The atmosphere was terrific on Sunday, as usual.
10) Always take your earplugs when you go to Albert Park
It’s not for the cars, which aren’t noisy enough in the opinion of the locals. It’s for the particularly loud air displays that go on all weekend and threaten to blow your head off.
• This article was corrected on 16 March 2015 to reflect the fact that 75% of the grid turned up, not 25%.
