I just realised I forgot to do my traditional race recap!
The race itself was pretty poor, with a quarter of the grid not making the start of the race: Manor (formerly Marussia) didn't turn a wheel all weekend due to several issues including not having the software to run their old Ferrari engines; Williams's Magnussen missed the race due to suffering back problems after qualifying; Kvyat's Red Bull and Magnussen's McLaren failed on the way to the grid due to gear box and engine failures respectively.
The Mercedes drivers look set to dominate the season once again, with a huge gap in qualifying to the other teams. Hamilton looked in control all weekend and took the win with little pressure from Rosberg a couple of seconds behind.
Ferrari look to have made significant gains over the winter, with Vettel taking the final spot on the podium. Raikkonen also looked strong but a collision with Vettel at the first corner caused damage that led to problems in his pitstops, and he was released from the pits with a wheel not properly attached, leading to his retirement.
Massa was fourth, his Williams team once again showing their tactical naivety with their pitstop strategy in the battle with Vettel.
Sauber's double points finish (an excellent 5th for rookie Nasr and 8th for Ericcson) was overshadowed by the team being taken to court by former test driver Giedo van der Garde. The Dutch driver is one of at least 4 drivers who had a race contract for one of the two Sauber seats this year. Van der Garde eventually dropped his challenge to force his way into one of the race seats, presumably after an out of court settlement, but only after dragging Sauber's name through the mud. The team didn't run in the first practice session due to fear of being found in contempt of court.
Red Bull have been throwing a strop in the media after a poor race for them. Ricciardo managed just 6th place, and they seem to have dropped back so much that even their junior team Toro Rosso might challenge them this year. The two Toro Rosso rookies both impressed, Verstappen showing good pace before his retirement and Sainz showing good maturity on his way to 9th place.
Lotus had a race to forget, both drivers out on the opening lap, but they should have some good optimism for the rest of the season with both drivers getting into the top 10 in qualifying.
Force India took advantage of the high attrition rate to claim 7th with Hulkenburg and 10th with Perez, although the team are likely to remain a bit off the pace until at least the European part of the season starts.
After a horrendous winter testing, McLaren can at least take hope from Button being able to complete the race, and he even managed to battle well with Perez, although ultimately finished last of the 11 remaining runners.
The race itself was pretty poor, with a quarter of the grid not making the start of the race: Manor (formerly Marussia) didn't turn a wheel all weekend due to several issues including not having the software to run their old Ferrari engines; Williams's Magnussen missed the race due to suffering back problems after qualifying; Kvyat's Red Bull and Magnussen's McLaren failed on the way to the grid due to gear box and engine failures respectively.
The Mercedes drivers look set to dominate the season once again, with a huge gap in qualifying to the other teams. Hamilton looked in control all weekend and took the win with little pressure from Rosberg a couple of seconds behind.
Ferrari look to have made significant gains over the winter, with Vettel taking the final spot on the podium. Raikkonen also looked strong but a collision with Vettel at the first corner caused damage that led to problems in his pitstops, and he was released from the pits with a wheel not properly attached, leading to his retirement.
Massa was fourth, his Williams team once again showing their tactical naivety with their pitstop strategy in the battle with Vettel.
Sauber's double points finish (an excellent 5th for rookie Nasr and 8th for Ericcson) was overshadowed by the team being taken to court by former test driver Giedo van der Garde. The Dutch driver is one of at least 4 drivers who had a race contract for one of the two Sauber seats this year. Van der Garde eventually dropped his challenge to force his way into one of the race seats, presumably after an out of court settlement, but only after dragging Sauber's name through the mud. The team didn't run in the first practice session due to fear of being found in contempt of court.
Red Bull have been throwing a strop in the media after a poor race for them. Ricciardo managed just 6th place, and they seem to have dropped back so much that even their junior team Toro Rosso might challenge them this year. The two Toro Rosso rookies both impressed, Verstappen showing good pace before his retirement and Sainz showing good maturity on his way to 9th place.
Lotus had a race to forget, both drivers out on the opening lap, but they should have some good optimism for the rest of the season with both drivers getting into the top 10 in qualifying.
Force India took advantage of the high attrition rate to claim 7th with Hulkenburg and 10th with Perez, although the team are likely to remain a bit off the pace until at least the European part of the season starts.
After a horrendous winter testing, McLaren can at least take hope from Button being able to complete the race, and he even managed to battle well with Perez, although ultimately finished last of the 11 remaining runners.