Lewis Hamilton romps to victory over Nico Rosberg at Australian Grand Prix
LEWIS HAMILTON got his world title defence off to the perfect start with a dominant victory over team-mate Nico Rosberg at the Australian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates his victory
The Mercedes duo romped away from their rivals in an ominous display of their superiority over the rest of the grid.
Hamilton led from start to finish and beat Rosberg by 1.3 seconds at the Albert Park circuit, with Sebastian Vettel finishing third in his first race for Ferrari.
The British driver said he was delighted to overcome Rosberg again.
"My team has done an awesome job and it is an incredible feeling to continue winning," Hamilton said.
Lewis Hamilton spoke with Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger on the podium
"Nico was very quick throughout the race. It was really trying to manage the fuel and the tires, not knowing the limit in terms of how far they can go.
"Once you get a one or two-second gap, you manage that - there is no need to eke out more. When Nico turned up the heat I was able to react."
Williams driver Felipe Massa finished fourth and fellow Brazilian Felipe Nasr was fifth for Sauber, despite a turbulent week of legal battles and a 2014 season without a single championship point.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished a disappointing sixth for Red Bull at his home race, followed by Force India's Nico Hulkenberg and Sauber's Marcus Ericsson in eighth.
Carlos Sainz Jr. made an excellent start to his F1 career, finishing in ninth and Sergio Perez picked up the final point for Force India.