2015 F1 Round 1, Australian Grand Prix FP1: Rosberg sets the opening pace as Mercedes lead Williams by 1.191 seconds

The opening weekend of the 2015 season got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park on March 13. Neither Sauber driver was able to take part because of the team’s off-track legal dispute, while Manor’s Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi were also absent because their cars were not yet ready, leaving just 16 drivers in the official FP1 classification.

The track gradually became faster as the cars circulated, but Nico Rosberg set a 1:29.557 in the opening stages of FP1 and held on to the fastest time until the end. According to the official F1 report, every driver taking part in the session used Pirelli medium tyres; Mercedes still established a clear advantage on the continually improving track.

Lewis Hamilton later took second with a 1:29.586, just 0.029 seconds slower than his team-mate. The two Mercedes cars secured a one-two finish in the first practice session, with only 0.029 seconds separating the team-mates.

Mercedes switched to race simulations later in practice while remaining at the top of the timesheets. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas took third with a 1:30.748, 1.191 seconds behind Rosberg, making him the fastest driver outside Mercedes.

Toro Rosso’s rookie pairing occupied fourth and sixth: Carlos Sainz set a 1:31.014 to lead Max Verstappen, who was 0.053 seconds slower. The official F1 report described both drivers as impressive, with each finishing the first practice session in the top six and Sainz holding the early advantage over his team-mate.

Sebastian Vettel briefly slid off the track late in the session before moving up to fifth with a 1:31.029. Felipe Massa was seventh and Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen eighth, completing 19 and 14 laps respectively, just behind Toro Rosso’s two rookies.

Pastor Maldonado took ninth for Lotus and completed 22 laps. Romain Grosjean’s car suffered a hydraulic system problem, limiting him to just five laps and leaving him last overall; there was also more than a twofold difference between the team-mates’ lap totals.

Daniel Ricciardo ended first practice for his home season opener in tenth, but completed only nine laps; both Red Bull drivers also expressed dissatisfaction with the driveability of the Renault power unit. Kvyat was 11th after completing 18 laps, as Red Bull continued to look for ways to improve the power unit’s performance.