March 7, 2005 The Australian Grand Prix marked the beginning of the Formula One season and once again offered intrigue at almost every turn of the wheel. In the end, the Mild Seven Renault Team had its best result since returning to F1 three years ago and clearly has the speed to be a challenger to Ferrari this season. Renault won the weekend from a team viewpoint, with Fisichella first and Alonso third, though most of the leading contenders could take some heart from the weekend’s proceedings. McLaren is clearly a contender again, Ferrari’s 2004 car was competitive (the 2005 car won’t be ready for several races yet) and Red Bull proved that small budgets and a good driver can get results with two point-scoring finishes using last year’s Jaguars as a basis.

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March 7, 2005 The Australian Grand Prix marked the beginning of the Formula One season and once again offered intrigue at almost every turn of the wheel. In the end, the Mild Seven Renault Team had its best result since returning to F1 three years ago and clearly has the speed to be a challenger to Ferrari this season. Renault won the weekend from a team viewpoint, with Fisichella first and Alonso third, though most of the leading contenders could take some heart from the weekend's proceedings. McLaren is clearly a contender again, Ferrari's 2004 car was competitive (the 2005 car won't be ready for several races yet) and Red Bull proved that small budgets and a good driver can get results with two point-scoring finishes using last year's Jaguars as a basis.

There were many rule changes that came into effect with this first race of the new season, the most significant being qualifying rules to determine grid position (the Saturday and Sunday morning session times are now added to get the starting order), tyres (one set of tyres must last both qualifying sessions and the whole race) and engines (one engine must last two entire race weekends).

Though there were a few individual tyre problems, the tyre manufacturers showed they could build a tyre capable of providing good grip and lasting long enough, and the engine manufacturers showed they were capable of providing engines of similar weight and horsepower that could also go the distance, at least for the length of the first race - around half the field now have to face the year's hottest Grand Prix in Malaysia with a second-hand engine. Both those feats are incredible in their own right, with lap times better than last year despite those two and several other major efforts to slow the cars.

All but two of the leading drivers were caught out by the first weather-effected qualifying session leaving Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya in placings not befitting their speed. If there was a silver lining to the clouds that never stopped threatening across three days of racing, it was that the race became even more intriguing, with Panasonic Toyota's Jarno Trulli on the front row of the grid, Jacques Villeneuve on the second row in his Sauber, and the pair of Red Bull (aka 2004 Jaguars) sharing the third row. All of those cars should rightfully have been behind the Ferraris,

In the end, David Coulthard provided a minor miracle by nearly putting the Red Bull onto the podiumand Jarno Trulli narrowly missed providing Toyota with points after scoring its first ever front row grid position. Trulli was able to retain second and keep pace with the leader until his first pit stop, but one of his rear tyres blistered and he struggled thereafter, dropping him out of the points.

Starting from pole position, Giancarlo Fisichella put in a faultless drive, and only relinquished the lead during the pit-stop cycle, when he stopped on laps 25 and 42.

Fernando Alonso (Renault) started thirteenth on the grid, (owing to the wet conditions in yesterday's qualifying session), but climbed through the field to finish third, just behind the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello.

When the starting lights went out to begin the race, Giancarlo Fisichella made an impeccable start, leading from Trulli (Toyota), Coulthard (Red Bull), Webber (Williams), Heidfeld (Williams), Klien (Red Bull), Montoya (McLaren), Barrichello (Ferrari), Villeneuve (Sauber), Alonso (Renault) and Button (BAR). Further back, Michael Schumacher was trying to climb back through the field from his back of the grid qualifying slot.

Giancarlo Fisichella controlled the race from the front, with the first round of pit-stops beginning on lap 18, with Jarno Trulli. Fisichella stopped in turn on lap 22, with Alonso three laps later. After this first wave of stops, the order was somewhat mixed up: David Coulthard was running second, while further back, Kimi Raikkonen overtook Michael Schumacher. However, the Finn's McLaren then lost a bargeboard and the German re-took the initiative.

Once again, Trulli opened the pit-stops when it came to the second window. It was lap 36. Giancarlo stopped on lap 42, with Button, Barrichello, Coulthard, Montoya and Michael Schumacher. However, the World Champion's race was soon over: a collision with Nick Heidfeld on lap 46 put an end to both men's races.

Fernando Alonso refuelled for the final time on lap 45. At this point, the standings had started to become clearer: Giancarlo led comfortably from Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso, David Coulthard, Mark Webber, Juan Pablo Montoya, Christian Klien, Raikkonen, Trulli, Massa, Button and Sato.

The podium order would not change again: the two Renault R25's crossed the line less than ten seconds apart. Fisichella took the second win of his career, while Alonso finished third. However, it was Fisichella's first chance to claim his win after the race; in Brazil in 2002, he was only awarded the win several days after the race. "This is definitely the best start to a season of my whole career..." he beamed.

Statements from Leading Drivers after the race:

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, Winner: "This was a fantastic weekend, and a great way to mark my debut with Renault! The R25 performed well throughout the whole race, and was consistent and easy to drive. That meant I could manage the gap to the cars behind, and look after the tyres, without being troubled. I think this race demonstrates the good potential of the team this season: the team is pushing hard on the development of the car, and that should mean we can build on this start later in the season. We are already very optimistic for the next race in Malaysia."

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director Renault F1: "It's a fantastic result for the entire team and the Renault group. We have made a good car this year, and Fisico and Fernando knew exactly how to make use of it this afternoon: they both drove fantastic races. We must take the season race by race, and I think there is still room for us to improve further."

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering Renault F1: "This afternoon's results are a tribute to the work of the entire team, here at the circuit and back at our bases in England and France. Fisico marked his return to the team in the best possible way with a victory, and I honestly thought Fernando would struggle to score points this afternoon: it's an amazing achievement to be on the podium. I said before the race that the new rules would force the drivers to demonstrate new skills, and it was pleasing to see both of them demonstrate a deep understanding of their requirements so quickly. We must also thank Michelin: we couldn't have asked for better tyres for today's race."

Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, second place: "I enjoyed every second of the race. The other teams have obviously made a step forward, but I must congratulate our team on producing a good car and the tyres held on very well - they could have done another race. I had a great start and passed Button immediately. Then I had a fantastic first and second corner and I was able to pass Villeneuve which I knew was essential. After fifteen laps, my rear brakes were locking really badly, the balance all went to the rear and it was like driving a kart. In the final stages, I was still pushing Fisichella because I had Alonso behind me, but I had to be careful as I was trying to conserve the engine, as we have to think about Malaysia and its high temperatures. I had a few problems with traffic. There are some new guys out there who were occasionally in the way, so I guess we need to give them time to get the F1 habit. We proved today that this car is still competitive, even though the new one will be faster." Ross Brawn, Technical Director, Ferrari: "We are reasonably happy, considering we came here with the old car. To finish second after such a dreadful qualifying is not bad. Both guys drove a great race. Rubens was exceptional, as he had a problem with the car from the early stages, but he was able to manage it very well. Michael had a race from the back of the grid and it was always going to be difficult with such a high number of finishers. It's a great shame he got taken out, because a couple of points from Michael would have been a nice bonus. We know we have the new car coming and further development on tyres, which were very good today. Second place with the old car cannot be bad and is a good incentive for all of us."

Jean Todt, Managing Director, Ferrari F1 : "The first weekend of the season ends with mixed emotions. On the one hand, satisfaction with Rubens's second place after he drove a great race. Given how things went into qualifying, it was quite a long call to expect a podium finish. On the other hand, there is disappointment for Michael, forced to retire when he was in the points, following a collision with Heidfeld's Williams. It is a shame, because Michael had staged a good climb up the order and could have brought home some valuable points. We proved we were competitive in the race and to achieve that with the F2004 M is encouraging for the future. However, we know that, along with Bridgestone, we have a lot of work to do to reach the level of performance we are aiming for. I want to congratulate Giancarlo Fisichella who drove a splendid race to take his second Grand Prix win. Today's result confirms our prediction that it will be a very very closely contested championship."

Fernando Alonso, third place: "I didn't think I could finish on the podium today, but it was a great feeling to be up there! I was lucky during the race to have some laps without traffic at the end of each stint, which meant I could push really hard to gain positions. We are pleased to have a car like the R25, because as today showed, it is quick enough on the straights and in the corners to overtake some of our rivals on track. Thank-you to Michelin as well: during this race, I had to attack for every one of the 57 laps, and the tyres didn't drop off in performance at all. The only thing I would have changed this weekend was the weather yesterday afternoon!"

David Coulthard, Red Bull (4th): "I made a good start and managed to get into third place. I struggled a bit initially with a heavy fuel load, then had lots of trouble with traffic and lost chunks of time. I hit a Minardi at one point. A podium finish was achievable today - that would have been a dream start for Red Bull and at one stage I was beginning to dream a little, but I can't complain about fourth place. It is much more than we expected. With Christian scoring points as well, it is a fantastic start for Red Bull Racing."

Mark Webber, Williams (5th): "Coming 5th is not a bad start at all, but I think that we actually had an opportunity for a better result today. I lost one position to Coulthard at the first corner, when I was looking after my tyres and trying not to lock my wheels. After that I was stuck behind him, which was a bit frustrating. We have put the first race behind us and we have learned a lot about the car and the tyres. The car has proved to be reliable and this is very important"

Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren (6th): "I'm pleased that we seem to have the speed with the MP4-20 package, and I would have been able to finish higher up had things gone our way. I lost some valuable time during my second stint as I was pushing really hard on the in-lap and got the rear tyre on the grass at Turn Eight. Later on there was a misunderstanding with one of the Jordans which meant I was pushed off the track. Towards the end I slowed down to conserve the package for Malaysia. After the race I have been told that I also had lost one of my deflectors which obviously affected the overall speed and the handling of my car."

Christian Klien, Red Bull (7th): "My start was OK, although I lost one position to Nick Heidfeld's Williams. Then I overtook Villeneuve and got back to sixth position, after which the whole race was pretty good. The car was consistent and the pit stops were OK, so it was a very positive race for us all. It is great that we have scored some points in our first race this season."

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (8th): "The result might not show this but we have the pace to challenge for victories, which is great. However today my race was really over when I stalled the car at the start and had to begin my race from the pitlane. In the opening stages I was stuck behind Michael Schumacher which lost me some time, but when I got past him in the first round of pitstops I was able to pick up speed again. However my deflector came off and went underneath the car. The team removed it during my scheduled second pitstop but the loss obviously affected the handling of my car in the closing stages. I really look forward to Malaysia where hopefully we should be able to get the result we believe we are capable of and have some more consistent weather."

Michael Schumacher, reigning F1 Champion (Did Not Finish): "All in all there are some positives to take away from this race. We were competitive - Rubens drove a super race - despite the fact we had last year's car. We had a great pace and I am pretty sure I could have passed Klien. We can be satisfied and regard this weekend as a good sign for the rest of the championship. The incident with Heidfeld? With this type of thing there are always different opinions and mine is that it is impossible to blame either one of us. I saw him behind me just as I came out of the pits and I made it clear I was defending my position. At one point I lost sight of him in the mirrors and went into the corner when I felt I'd been hit. I have seen the incident on film: Heidfeld was on the grass and so was not in full control of his car. I can't blame him for trying to overtake me. My car was slightly damaged in the collision and there was no point in going on."