Hamilton cruises to Australian GP win

BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Williams' Nico Rosberg completed the podium, while both Ferraris retired with mechanical problems after a series of errors by drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

McLaren had been set for a perfect one-two finish, but Hamilton's new teammate Heikki Kovalainen was unfortunate to fall to the back of the field after the safety car came out just before he was set to make his final pitstop.

He recovered to fifth, after a spectacular late battle with Renault returnee Fernando Alonso, the man he had swapped seats with over the winter.

The race was chaotic from the start. As Hamilton led BMW's Robert Kubica and Kovalainen through the first corner, Massa spun to the inside of the first corner while attempting to out-accelerate the second McLaren. The Ferrari broke its front wing on the barriers and had to pit for repairs.

Behind this incident, a number of separate collisions unfolded - resulting in Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso), Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri) and Jenson Button (Honda) all retiring before the end of the first lap, while Williams' Kazuki Nakajima had to pit for a new front wing.

Raikkonen made excellent progress through the carnage and moved from 15th on the grid to eighth, but he would remain trapped behind seventh-placed Rubens Barrichello's Honda for the first 18 laps of the race.

The opening lap tangles prompted a brief safety car period, after which Hamilton calmly pulled away in the lead - lapping up to a second per lap quicker than Kubica, who kept Kovalainen behind him. In their wake, Rosberg, Heidfeld and Jarno Trulli formed the initial top six, but the Toyota driver retired at his first pitstop due to a battery problem.

Kubica was carrying the lightest fuel load of the front-runners and came in on lap 16. He rejoined in traffic, allowing Kovalainen to easily move up to second once the initial pitstop sequence was complete, while one-stopping Raikkonen moved up to third, right behind Kovalainen as others came in.

His teammate Massa was making less successful progress through the field, and on lap 25 he caused the second safety car period after a move on David Coulthard into the first corner sent the Red Bull flying into the air. It landed heavily, spreading debris across Turns 1 and 2. Massa retired when his engine cut out shortly afterwards.

At the restart Raikkonen immediately pounced on Kovalainen, trying an abortive outside line move at Turn 1, before diving down the inside at Turn 3. But the Ferrari was carrying far too much speed and plunged through the gravel, falling to the tail of the field. He would later lose more time with a spin at the same spot.

Hamilton then proceeded to edge away from Kovalainen again, as Heidfeld and Rosberg - who had swapped places at the first pitstops - stayed within sight of the second McLaren.

Kovalainen was running longer than the rest of this group, but this proved to be his undoing, as the safety car emerged again just before his final stop. Toyota's new signing Timo Glock had run wide at Turn 12 and launched his car destructively over an access road, hurling debris over the track.

The need to wait for the pits to open under yellow meant Kovalainen fell to the tail of the pack, while Hamilton was able to return to the front of the queue and calmly pull away from Heidfeld and Rosberg in the final 11 laps after the restart, with the Williams driver delighted to claim his first Formula One podium.

Toro Rosso's rookie Sebastien Bourdais had been set for fourth - having perfectly timed his single pitstop just as the pits opened under the second safety car - until his car failed three laps from the end.

That elevated the battling Alonso and Kovalainen into fourth and fifth. The McLaren passed the Renault at Turn 13 with two laps remaining, only for Alonso to cruise back ahead when Kovalainen faltered on the straight.

Raikkonen would have finished with this pair had his car not fallen sick and retired in the closing stages.

Rubens Barrichello claimed sixth for Honda, but was set for a top five finish until stopping in a closed pit during the final safety car. He was also let out too soon during the stop, taking his fuel rig with him and scattering his mechanics, who all escaped injury.

The Brazilian, however, is under investigation for leaving the pitlane when the red light was one and he could be disqualified.

Williams' Kazuki Nakajima was the final finisher in this incredibly attritional race, taking seventh place despite running into Kubica as he prepared for the final restart - damaging his front wing and ending the front row starter's race.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1h34:50.616
 2.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +     5.478
 3.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +     8.163
 4.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +    17.181
 5.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    18.014
 6.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +    52.453
 7.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +     1 lap
 8.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +    2 laps
 9.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Kovalainen, 1:27.418

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)    50
Glock         Toyota                (B)    44
Sato          Super Aguri-Honda     (B)    33
Piquet        Renault               (B)    31
Massa         Ferrari               (B)    30
Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)    26
Trulli        Toyota                (B)    20
Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)    9
Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)    1
Button        Honda                 (B)    1
Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda     (B)    1
Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)    1
Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari   (B)    1


World Championship standings, round 1:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Hamilton      10        1.  McLaren-Mercedes       14
 2.  Heidfeld       8        2.  BMW Sauber              8
 3.  Rosberg        6        3.  Williams-Toyota         8
 4.  Alonso         5        4.  Renault                 5
 5.  Kovalainen     4        5.  Honda                   3
 6.  Barrichello    3        6.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1
 7.  Nakajima       2       
 8.  Bourdais       1       
       
All timing unofficial