Domination Down Under As Rosberg Wins Australian Grand Prix

Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas

The F1 2014 season officially got underway today with Nico Rosberg storming to a commanding victory at the Albert Park Circuit in Australia. He won the race by 24 seconds from Daniel Ricciardo and impressive McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen.

However, local boy Ricciardo was dramatically excluded from the race after his car was deemed to have consistently exceeded the maximum fuel flow limit. Jenson Button was promoted to third place, with Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas completing the top five. Here are eight memorable moments from the race:

1. Hamilton and Vettel make early exits

Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas

Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix lasted just two laps. He was down on power from the very start and was told to retire the car at the end of lap one. Rather confusingly, seconds later he was told to stay out before eventually having to return to the pits and call it a day with a misfiring engine cylinder. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel was also an early retirement due to a power-unit problem.

2. Ricciardo does 'a Webber'

Image source: MrWADConsole

We all remember Mark Webber falling over on the podium at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix. Well, Daniel Ricciardo decided to imitate his countryman's famous tumble while spraying the champagne after finishing second on home turf in Australia.

3. Red Bull vs. The FIA

Image source: WTF1

However, Ricciardo's second place was taken away from him after a five-hour investigation by the stewards. They eventually deemed that his car ran consistently over the maximum fuel flow rate of 100kg per hour. The unhappy Red Bull team will appeal the decision.

4. Magnussen makes an impression

'Kevin Magnussen? Who is that?' I hear you cry. Well, he is a young driver worth keeping an eye on. Magnussen surprised many by qualifying fourth on the grid for his first Formula 1 race. He eventually crossed the line in third place, before being promoted to second due to Ricciardo's exclusion. But his race could have easily ended on lap one after a scary moment at the start, as K-Mag (as some people call him) suffered a wild slide across the circuit after spinning his wheels on the drag to the first corner.

5. Kobayashi takes out Massa

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Kamui Kobayashi suffered a braking problem into the first corner and was left with nowhere to go, wiping out Felipe Massa's Williams. Both retired from the race. Massa was fuming - he didn't know the crash was caused by a mechanical failure - and said the Japanese driver deserved a one-race ban.

6. Good save

Jean-Eric Vergne narrowly avoided a hefty impact with the barriers during the race after dropping his left-rear wheel on the dirt at the final corner. The rear of the car stepped out but he impressively managed to catch the slide and continue.

7. Bottas finds the barrier

Valtteri Bottas was one of the stars of the 2014 season opener but he could have finished far higher than sixth had he not found the wall in the early stages. He pushed a bit too hard as he attempted to make up ground after a grid penalty for a gearbox change and hit the barrier at the exit of turn 10. Fortunately he only picked up a puncture and avoided suspension damage, but it dropped him to the back of the pack.

8. Second time lucky?

Image source: Labradooodle

The start of the race was an unusual one. Mr. Reliable Max Chilton was stranded on the grid for the formation lap and the first start was aborted after a problem for his team-mate Jules Bianchi. It meant the pit lane was very busy as the lights eventually went out, with the two Marussias queuing up behind Romain Grosjean.