Lewis Hamilton dominated the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park, Melbourne. Nico Rosberg could stay close but was never in a position the challenge the World Champion, while Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari fans a thrill with third place, although he was more than half a minute behind the winning Mercedes. The race provided some interesting battles but in some ways was it was a low point for Formula 1. There were only 15 cars on the grid, as a result of various troubles and the field was reduced to 13 when the Lotus F1 Team disappeared in the course of the first lap.
In GP+ this week…
– We talk to Toto Wolff about managing Lewis and Nico
– …and find out what Adrian Newey has to think on a wide range of subjects
– We remember Willy Grover, a real Grand Prix hero
– DT has strong views about the Sauber-Van der Garde mess
– JS believes that the sport is missing out on potential revenues
– …and The Hack rants and raves about public servants
– Peter and Lise Nygaard capture the action in pictures
GP+ is the fastest magazine in the Formula 1 world. It is published as the mechanics are still wiping down the cars after each and every race. It appears in PDF format so that you can read it on your computer, your tablet and even on your smartphone, but it’s an old style racing magazine in a modern format. It goes right to the heart of the sport, inside the F1 Paddock. We are there at every race and we get to the people that matter. We are also passionate about the history of the sport and love to share it with our readers.
GP+ is an amazing bargain. You get 22 issues for £29.99, covering the entire 2015 Formula 1 season.
For more information, go to http://www.grandprixplus.com.
joeblogsf1 
Another fine display from Mercedes and its two drivers, showing just how they have carried their significant performance advantage from last year into this season.
I so hope this isn’t a precursor for the rest of 2015 though, as the two Mercs finishing over half a minute ahead of the best of the rest Ferrari of Vettel is just what F1 doesn’t need in terms of retaining or even increasing its viewing audience. The smallest grid since 1969 with just 15,starters doesn’t help either.
Perhaps if the cars were a little less high tech and budgets were a lot lower, if still vast, we might avoid the embarrassment of cars failing on the way to the grid and have more teams competing. I note Euto F3 has an oversubscribed 35 cars for this season.
Delighted for Vettel achieving a podium on his Ferrari debut, but I wonder just how Alonso feels about it, bearing in mind the McLaren’s current lack of pace.
Nasr’s fine fifth place finish for Sauber must have made GVDG want to get in that car even more. Let’s just hope a settlement can be reached one way or another before Malaysia.
Was I the only one who noticed that Arnie clearly didn’t know the names of the drivers he was interviewing. “Let talk to you next.” Then “Next we come to you.” He never referred to them by their names once. A fun surprise though.
I believe the other teams should be allowed more leeway to catch up with Mercedes, but given RBR’s vehement resistance to the same concept when they were dominating their latest whining rings very hollow and hypocritical.
I think Seb really screwed his team mate there on the first corner, Kimi gave him room, Seb: not so much. I wonder if Kimi is bothered.
Renault must be wondering if it’s worth spending so much money to be thrown under the bus by a petulant RB. How will RB tempt some one else to give them engines?
Good job by the rookies, MV was so close, welcome to the vagaries of F1
A note to you, Joe. And David and Mike. Like you, I’m appalled at what a botch F1 is making of itself and has been for several years. I would never have believed that my once fierce enthusiasm could be knocked out of me. But it nearly has. A shining light, however, is your eternal passion for the (once) sport. Sure, you bellyache quite rightly over the atrocities that occur on a regular basis, but your fulminations are inevitably positive overall. The people who have hijacked F1 don’t realise what a powerful advocate you are in keeping this wearied fan’s candle flickering.
Great issue
Given some of the short-sighted behaviour we see regularly in the sport, I was almost expecting a vindictive rival team to protest Sauber for having taken money from three pay drivers, thus gaining an unfair advantage…..
I remember you mentioning that Ferrari wouldn’t have made so much progress by this time as the regulation wouldn’t allow such big advances or some such. Is their pace real and how have they achieved it? Are they up to no good with the fuel the injection system?
The race proved that Ferrari has made very little progress
I don’t want to sound like an annoying a**hole but…
Looking at the qualifying times and the laptimes during the race…it would have been a truly amazing race if Mercedes didn’t exist.
So, on top of most of the future Grands Prix being shown on PayTV in Australia we had to suffer Mark Webber, Alan Jones and the other Channel 10 twat heads. Martin Brundle they are not
Joe, Can’t wait to hear what you have to say about the new “official F1” site becoming a pay to view.
I am very happy
Amazing. So they are further hiding F1 behind a paywall. Not that I ever used the F1 site anyway, but I guess the timing screens are now no longer visible without paying. £19.99 to view a website for the year.. LOL. No chance.
Nice of Bernie to charge the UK £2.34 more than Australia, to access the same information..
Missed opportunity to plug Grand Prix Saboteurs and the end of the W. Williams piece?
It was in remembrance of a great man.
Aussie GP [ the satirical albeit honest viewpoint ]
The race – Predictable . Pathetic and not even worth commenting on . A race of attrition .. not competition …..zzzzZZZZZ
Mercedes – SR/DR ( Same Results – Different Race ) .. e.g. Total domination with blatant favoritism for Hamilton displayed from the get go . Like to place odds the Daimler Mercedes board may still walk away from F1 regardless ?
The cars – Though still not good sounding [ on TV ] compared to the V12’s/V10’s of old … they’re a ___ of a lot better sounding than last year . At the very least the flatulence has been cured
Manor/Marussia – Anyone surprised at the outcome ? No ? Didn’t think so . Manor/Marussia rapidly becoming F1’s never ending SAAB story … that needs to be put out of our misery … once and for all !!!!!!
McLaren – The only thing worse than the cars themselves is the livery . Suffice it to say on TV .. the Force India cars look a damn sight more like a McLaren than the McLaren does … and the sponsor logos with the exception of slow motion close ups are all but completely unreadable
Honda – Went out with its tail between its legs . Came back a lame duck with two broken wings incapable of much of anything . No surprise though in light of Honda Automotive’s foibles and debacles over the last five years . Honda . How the mighty have fallen !
The competition – What competition ? There was two Mercedes at the front .. with every one else running in parade formation praying to survive for the remaining positions
Sauber F1 – Despite one surviving decently … not placing decently … the end is nearer today than ever before for Sauber F1 .
Red Bull – I was surprised Dieter Mateschitz didn’t pull the plug on Red Bull and Toro Roso last year in light of the blatant prejudice shown both Red Bull and Vettel . I’ll be shocked and dumbfounded if he doesn’t do so this year
Renault – Renault ? THEY ? … They … think they’re capable of doing a factory team ? Bahahahahahahaha !
Lack of [ team/car ] Sponsorship – The acres and acres of blank space on almost all the cars says it all when it comes to the overall health of F1 .. and the [ Worldwide ] economy in general
US TV Coverage – Please, please , please … dear God in Heaven please … get rid of the entire NBCSN crew … and replace them with some honest , intelligent , relevant and informed [ race ] commentators ! Banal , repetitive and inane with an overwhelming amount of Uncle Bernie / F1/ FIA propaganda spewing out their cake holes summing up the current bunch’s efforts in a nutshell . Ugh ! Fact is … the only thing worse than the race itself was the commentary provided by David ( hobbled) Hobbs and Company .
I suggest a trip to the pharmacy for some positive pills
So what bits did you not enjoy?
Never read your magazine and have been tempted, infact after yesterdays race perhaps I should give up watching and just read what happened instead. The pinnacle of motorsport oh dear and that’s not a slant against the mercs who have done a great job but to the fia who are clueless
You had me at Willy Grover…
My first issue, received yesterday. I have already read every word. Thanks, Joe. Glad I signed up. And brilliant story about Willy Grover.
After a year of reading your blog I have finally taken the next step and signed up. Love your insights and opinions and look forwards to more of them over the coming season.
@ David T: Congrats on those two very fine interviews of Adrian Newey and Toto Wolff. Both were indeed illuminating. In fact, your interview of Toto was far more substantive than the one conducted of him by Joshua Robinson in the WSJ on March 12, 2015, (see “Hamilton-Roseberg Challenge for Mercedes Chief Wolff”). Interestingly there was no mention of his spouse Suzie in that interview. Hmm!
Mr. Robinson’s article was one of three that appeared in the WSJ on that day. See: “Everyone’s chasing Mercedes again in F1” and; “Hollinger sees healthy side to F1 re Brad Hollinger buys into Williams F1 team.” Such voluminous and continuing exposure of F1 in the WSJ is very good for the sport in the important US market, where the WSJ is the best-selling daily newspaper beating the pompous, error-laden, NYT by more than half million copies in weekday circulation. The WSJ also is ranked in the top four most influential papers in the World.
As a new subscriber, GP+ is the ONLY part of a Grand Prix I will take any interest in now. “They” might be able to destroy the engine noise, pander to green regulation, IT-led tech, and vacuous celebrity culture, but your journalism Joe… they cannot touch 😉