Power Ranking the Formula 1 Teams After 2015 Australian Grand Prix
A familiar sinking feeling spread throughout the pit lane as Mercedes cruised to a dominant one-two at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.
The reigning constructors' champions were as far ahead here as they were at the end of last season. Formula One is set for another two-horse race for the title.
Behind them, it's somewhat more interesting. Ferrari and Williams came out of pre-season testing looking tied for best of the rest and were separated by mere tenths all weekend long.
Red Bull were supposed to be the third member of the party, but were held back by a troublesome and weak Renault power unit. Sauber, Toro Rosso and Lotus joined the struggling Austrians in a tight midfield scrap.
Force India have a little bit of work to do, McLaren have a lot and Manor even more. Things will inevitably change, but probably not before the next round in Malaysia.
Coming out of the season-opening race, here's how the teams currently rank.
Note on Power Rankings
F1 team power rankings ignore the points table and instead present a snapshot of where each team currently stands in relation to their competitors based on reliability, qualifying and race pace.
All position changes are relative to those in the previous set of rankings, created after the final pre-season test. You can find them here.
10. Manor
1 of 10
No Change
Manor made it to Australia against all odds, but a lack of time to prepare left them unable to take any part in the race weekend.
Hopefully they'll be on the track in Malaysia, but for now they remain 10th.
9. McLaren
2 of 10
No Change
McLaren went into the Australian Grand Prix with low expectations, so at least they weren't disappointed.
Jenson Button was the team's quickest driver in qualifying, but he was 1.5 seconds away from making it through to Q2 and could do no better than 17th on the grid. Kevin Magnussen was six-tenths of a second slower, and started last.
The Dane's race was over before it had even begun, an engine failure putting him out as he made his way to the grid.
Button had a slightly better race and despite significant issues with the car made it to the chequered flag. However, he was by some distance the slowest driver on the track and was the only man to be lapped twice.
McLaren still have a lot to do and remain ninth.
8. Force India
3 of 10
No Change
Force India know they're still playing catch-up after debuting the VJM08 so late in testing, but are likely to be pleased with how things went in Melbourne.
Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez qualified 14th and 15th, respectively, 0.001 second apart. The Q2 gap between them and 10th-placed Pastor Maldonado was half a second.
Both made OK starts, but Perez sabotaged his own race by accidentally passing Marcus Ericsson under safety car conditions. In giving the place back he was forced to drop to last—behind Jenson Button's McLaren.
For lap after lap he was stuck behind the slower car, and by the time he got past he'd lost a lot of time. He finished 10th.
Hulkenberg had a less-eventful race, but scored solid points with seventh.
"Good to start the 2015 formula one season with both cars finishing in the points @ForceIndiaF1. Happy with reliability.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 15, 2015"
A little work on optimising the car's performance should see them move up the rankings, but for now Force India stay eighth.
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7. Toro Rosso
4 of 10
Down One
Toro Rosso could and perhaps should have scored at least 10 points in Australia, but failed to turn potential into results.
Carlos Sainz Jr. was their star in qualifying, putting his STR10 in eighth—less than two-tenths shy of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. A mistake on Max Verstappen's best Q2 lap saw him start a disappointing 12th.
Both made decent getaways. Sainz escaped relatively unscathed from a first-corner coming together with Kimi Raikkonen, and at his first pit stop was running in seventh. Unfortunately for him and the team, a problem fitting his left-rear wheel cost him a lot of time.
Having dropped to last, he recovered to ninth.
Verstappen too looked set to do well, having shown strong pace on the medium tyres at the start of the race. But he too ran into problems and was forced to retire with a power unit failure just after his pit stop.
The pace is there and the two rookie drivers look good, but reliability does not. Toro Rosso drop a place to seventh.
6. Lotus
5 of 10
Down One
Lotus entered their first-ever race with a Mercedes engine in Australia and will have been hoping for a better result.
Both the team's drivers made it through to Q3 for the first time since 2013. Romain Grosjean was ninth, with Pastor Maldonado 10th.
But having qualified well, their races were over in the blink of an eye. Grosjean suffered a loss of power on the formation lap, got off the grid slowly and pulled into the pits at the end of Lap 1.
Maldonado's engine was fine, but he was unlucky to get caught up in the first-corner melee. A tap from Felipe Nasr's Sauber sent him spinning into the barriers at the outside of Turn 2, putting him out on the spot.
"What's the saying? Anything can happen in motorsport and usually does? We can think of a few other choice expressions right now...
— Lotus F1 Team (@Lotus_F1Team) March 15, 2015"
It's impossible to glean anything useful about the team's race pace, but qualifying looks OK. Lotus fall one place to sixth.
5. Sauber
6 of 10
Up Two
Sauber scored no points at all in 2014, but improvements to their Ferrari engine gave them hope going into the season-opener.
Felipe Nasr got the most out of the car on Saturday, qualifying an impressive 11th on his debut. Marcus Ericsson couldn't quite get it together and only just out-qualified the McLarens.
When the lights went out, both made good getaways. Nasr found himself having to avoid a slow Kimi Raikkonen in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, was given a tap by the Ferrari and this in turn pushed him into Pastor Maldonado.
He was lucky to escape without damage, but had gained places and never looked back. He repeatedly fended off Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull then pulled clear in the final stages to finish fifth.
Ericsson pitted on the opening lap and used a different strategy, passing Carlos Sainz late in the race for eighth.
Sauber look quick and reliable. After their first double points-finish since the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, they're up two spots to fifth.
4. Red Bull
7 of 10
No Change
Coming out of pre-season testing, Red Bull looked to be in an OK position. Australia appears to have changed that.
Daniel Ricciardo, having suffered an engine failure in first practice, did well to set the seventh-quickest time in qualifying. Daniil Kvyat had more trouble with the poor driveability of the RB11 (or rather, of the Renault engine) and could only manage 13th.
His problems continued on Sunday—the Russian was out before the race had started with a power unit failure.
Ricciardo got to the grid but made a poor start and was passed by a number of cars. He quickly took a place back from Carlos Sainz Jr, but his progress was halted by Felipe Nasr's Sauber.
Though clearly quicker in the early part of each stint, the Australian couldn't find a way past. Shockingly, the Sauber was faster toward the end of the stints, and Ricciardo finished sixth.
"Would love to have provided more excitement yesterday but thats how it was. Got some work ahead of us but we're gonna keep knuckling down
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) March 15, 2015"
Red Bull have done their usual good job with the chassis, but Renault need to find some serious improvements very soon.
The team stays fourth.
3. Williams
8 of 10
Down One
Williams seemed the second-strongest team in pre-season testing, so will be disappointed at missing out on the podium in Australia.
Felipe Massa did at least prove best of the rest in qualifying. The Brazilian lined up third, just ahead of the two Ferraris. Valtteri Bottas, nursing a back problem he first noticed in Q2, made an error on his quick lap and set the sixth-fastest time.
Unfortunately, his back trouble forced him to sit out the race.
Carrying all Williams hopes on his shoulders, Massa made a good start and slotted in behind the two Mercedes. He withstood pressure from Sebastian Vettel in the early stages, but lost out in the pit stops when the German emerged ahead.
Unable to close up for an attack on the Ferrari, Massa came home in fourth place.
".@MassaFelipe19 finishes 4th. Solid points to start the year considering we only had one car in the race #AusGP #WeAreRacing
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) March 15, 2015"
Williams appear to have fallen back a touch, but we don't know what a fit Bottas could have achieved. They drop to third.
2. Ferrari
9 of 10
Up One
Ferrari knew they were in a fight with Williams, and will be pleased to have come out on top.
Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen failed to get the most out of their qualifying laps, but lined up in fourth and fifth, respectively. As a measure of the car's apparent progress, fifth represented Raikkonen's best qualifying position since the first half of the 2013 season.
A better start for the Finn saw him challenge Vettel into Turn 1, and in avoiding contact, he was struck from behind by Carlos Sainz Jr and suffered damage to his floor. Coming back off the kerb, he also tapped Felipe Nasr.
Having fallen to eighth, he made progress despite a slow first pit stop, but was forced to retire after his second due to an ill-fitted wheel.
Vettel jumped Massa at his only pit stop and comfortably held off the Williams all the way to the finish line to claim the final spot on the podium.
Ferrari rise to second.
1. Mercedes
10 of 10
No Change
Mercedes were heavy favourites coming into the race and did exactly what was expected.
Lewis Hamilton took pole by a huge margin, six-tenths of a second over team-mate Nico Rosberg. The quickest non-Mercedes was 1.4 seconds slower than the pole-sitter.
Both got away well enough to hold their positions, and from that point on, there was little doubt what the outcome would be as Hamilton held off Rosberg to win.
Never seeming to truly push, the two Mercedes lapped everyone up to sixth and had a margin of more than 30 seconds over third at the end.
They remain first and are almost certain to stay there until the end of the year.
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