Lewis Hamilton wins as Ferrari hit self-destruct

Hamilton received his fifth career victory and a perfect ten points to start the new season

McLaren’s 23-year-old ace scorched to victory in Melbourne while their rivals Ferrari staggered to a defeat in a performance riddled with car failures and driving mistakes.

Trackside’s Keith Collantine explains how Hamilton got off to a perfect start.

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Lewis Hamilton has mastered the new Formula 1.

Over the winter the world’s top racing drivers have been coming to terms with changes which have made the world’s top motor sport even tougher.

Every F1 car has been stripped of computer-managed traction control and electronic engine braking systems. It has transformed them into tricky, twitchy, unpredictable beasts which spent the Australian Grand Prix weekend throwing their drivers into gravel traps and, occasionally, walls.

After 58 gruelling laps of Albert Park in 38C heat, with three appearances of the safety car, only six of the 22 starters were still running.

No one mastered the new cars better than Lewis Hamilton. On Saturday he snatched pole position from his former karting rival Robert Kubica by less than 0.2 seconds.

On Sunday he held Kubica back at the start while five cars eliminated themselves on the first lap. He only surrendered the lead during his scheduled visits to the pits.

Disaster for Ferrari

Meanwhile McLaren’s arch-rivals Ferrari were self-destructing. The Italian team failed to set world champion Kimi Raikkonen’s fuel pump pressure correctly in qualifying – he ground to a halt after his first lap and started a lowly 15th.

His team mate Felipe Massa could only manage fourth – and spun off at the first corner when the race started.

Raikkonen at least made a stunning getaway making up seven places in the first lap. But he shot off the track while trying to pass Hamilton’s new team mate Heikki Kovalainen for third place, falling to last.

He spun a second time while trying to pass Timo Glock – and then his engine died with five laps to go. The Finnish ace only scored a point for eighth place because so few cars finished.

Ahead of him was French racer Sebastien Bourdais who held a fine fourth on his F1 debut before his engine died two laps from the end.

High and lows for British racers

Hamilton had no such scares on the way to his fifth career victory and a perfect ten points to start the new season.

But it was a disastrous showing for the other three British drivers. Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson (Honda and Super Aguri) were both hit by other drivers in the first lap melee.

And David Coulthard collided heavily with Massa and crashed out. He then launched into a furious four-letter tirade against the Brazilian live on British television.

The next round is at Sepang, Malaysia this weekend.

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