Did you sleep through the F1? Here’s what happened in Melbourne

The Formula 1 season is back and while you were asleep, Lewis Hamilton claimed the first pole of the season in Australia. But Ferrari had a nightmare...

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Did you sleep through the F1? Here’s what happened in Melbourne

The Formula 1 season is back and while you were asleep, Lewis Hamilton claimed the first pole of the season in Australia. But Ferrari had a nightmare…

After what seems like forever, the Formula 1 roadshow is finally back and overnight the first qualification contest of the new season took place in Melbourne.

We know it’s early days but it looks like it could be a good year for McLaren as they locked up the front row for the first time in three years. England’s Lewis Hamilton took pole while compatriot and part-time shampoo model Jenson Button took second.

But that wasn’t the biggest surprise of the day. That came when Romain Grosjean steered his Lotus to the third fastest time of the session, just ahead of former world champ Michael Schumacher who took fourth. The other Lotus, piloted by yet another former champ, Kimi Raikkonen, will start in 18^th after an error by the Finn in his first race back in sport.

Where was current world champ Sebastian Vettel you ask? Well, the man who took 15 poles last year only came in sixth so the German has a bit of work to do tomorrow. Just ahead of him on the grid is local favourite Mark Webber, making the third row an all Red Bull affair.

However it was far from an ideal start to the year for Ferrari. The Italian giants were left as red-faced as their motors when neither of their drivers, Fernando Alonso or Felipe Massa, made the top 10 shootout. Alonso will start tomorrow’s race from 12^th place while Massa is back in 16^th.

“This is so great for the team,” said Hamilton afterwards. “We’ve had two tough years. The team have done so much, done such a great job over the (European) winter and we have all done a great job today.

“I think this is our first one-two since Jenson and I have been together, but we know that though this is a great day, it is tomorrow that matters.”

And a few less incidents than last year would help too Lewis. Here’s your full list for tomorrow’s grid:

1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1mins 24.922secs

2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren 1:25.074

3 Romain Grosjean (Swi) Lotus F1 Team 1:25.302

4 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:25.336

5 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:25.651

6 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1:25.688

7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:25.686

8 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams 1:25.908

9 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Force India 1:26.451

10 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.319