Several fresh faces have joined the Formula 1 grid for the 2015 season, but how did they fare at the first race in Australia?
Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Nasr all debuted at the Albert Park Circuit and impressed throughout the weekend.
Problems for Manor Marussia meant Roberto Merhi failed to take to the track in Melbourne, missing out on competing in his maiden F1 race.
Because of his record-breaking age, Verstappen attracted plenty of attention over the Australian Grand Prix. However, whilst some rookies would crack under pressure, the Toro Rosso driver enjoyed a strong debut weekend.
The 17-year-old lost crucial track time due to a battery issue in second practice, but he was able to find a good set-up in the final session on Saturday morning and felt well prepared for his first qualifying session in F1.
A small mistake on his quick lap in Q2 dropped him down the order and he missed out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out. Verstappen lined up 11th on the grid, due to Valtteri Bottas being deemed unfit to race by the FIA, and had a clean start, running inside the points during his long first stint on the medium tyre.
He pitted to change onto the option Pirelli compound on lap 33, bu was forced to pull onto the grass on his outlap with smoke billowing from the back of his car. His Renault engine had failed, costing him a top 10 result on his debut. It was a disappointing end to what had been a positive weekend.
However, Toro Rosso didn't leave Australia empty handed. Fellow rookie Sainz Jr took the chequered flag in ninth place, one lap down on the race winner Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard could have scored a better result had it not been for a problematic pit stop.
Despite a few mistakes in practice, Sainz Jr's debut weekend got off to a productive start, completing 73 laps on Friday and adding 19 more to his tally in practice three on Saturday. It was a largely smooth qualifying session for the reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, apart from a small error in Q1.
He safely made it through to the top 10 shoot-out and ended Q3 in eighth place. He started seventh and ran well within the points early on, despite a slightly messy first corner. Sainz Jr kept up with Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo, but lost out to Kimi Raikkonen ahead of his first stop.
He pitted on lap 25 and switched to the medium compound tyre, but an issue with the left-rear meant he lost a considerable amount of time. Having exited the pits in 13th, Sainz Jr as running in eighth place with a few laps to go, before he was overtaken by Marcus Ericsson's Sauber. Despite a far from ideal F1 debut, he still managed to impress.
Sauber's court case against Giedo van der Garde dominated the headlines over the Australian Grand Prix weekend, and Nasr's seat even came under threat. However, the Brazilian was able to line up on the grid in Melbourne and put in a strong performance in his maiden F1 race.
Missing first practice wasn't a great start to the weekend, but productive sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning helped to prepare him for qualifying. He just missed out on a spot in Q3, but due to Bottas missing the race, he ended up starting from 10th place.
The GP2 race winner was squeezed between Pastor Maldonado's Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at Turn 1, which pitched the former into the wall. However, despite initial concerns, his car escaped damage and he was able to continue in fifth place.
He managed to hold back Daniel Ricciardo and emerged from his first pit stop ahead of the Australian, despite Red Bull attempting the undercut. He put in a fine performance to take the chequered flag in fifth place, well clear of his team-mate Ericsson, who he out-paced all weekend.
Which rookie impressed you the most in Australia? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Problems for Manor Marussia meant Roberto Merhi failed to take to the track in Melbourne, missing out on competing in his maiden F1 race.
Because of his record-breaking age, Verstappen attracted plenty of attention over the Australian Grand Prix. However, whilst some rookies would crack under pressure, the Toro Rosso driver enjoyed a strong debut weekend.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The 17-year-old lost crucial track time due to a battery issue in second practice, but he was able to find a good set-up in the final session on Saturday morning and felt well prepared for his first qualifying session in F1.
A small mistake on his quick lap in Q2 dropped him down the order and he missed out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out. Verstappen lined up 11th on the grid, due to Valtteri Bottas being deemed unfit to race by the FIA, and had a clean start, running inside the points during his long first stint on the medium tyre.
He pitted to change onto the option Pirelli compound on lap 33, bu was forced to pull onto the grass on his outlap with smoke billowing from the back of his car. His Renault engine had failed, costing him a top 10 result on his debut. It was a disappointing end to what had been a positive weekend.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Despite a few mistakes in practice, Sainz Jr's debut weekend got off to a productive start, completing 73 laps on Friday and adding 19 more to his tally in practice three on Saturday. It was a largely smooth qualifying session for the reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, apart from a small error in Q1.
He safely made it through to the top 10 shoot-out and ended Q3 in eighth place. He started seventh and ran well within the points early on, despite a slightly messy first corner. Sainz Jr kept up with Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo, but lost out to Kimi Raikkonen ahead of his first stop.
He pitted on lap 25 and switched to the medium compound tyre, but an issue with the left-rear meant he lost a considerable amount of time. Having exited the pits in 13th, Sainz Jr as running in eighth place with a few laps to go, before he was overtaken by Marcus Ericsson's Sauber. Despite a far from ideal F1 debut, he still managed to impress.
Sauber's court case against Giedo van der Garde dominated the headlines over the Australian Grand Prix weekend, and Nasr's seat even came under threat. However, the Brazilian was able to line up on the grid in Melbourne and put in a strong performance in his maiden F1 race.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Missing first practice wasn't a great start to the weekend, but productive sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning helped to prepare him for qualifying. He just missed out on a spot in Q3, but due to Bottas missing the race, he ended up starting from 10th place.
The GP2 race winner was squeezed between Pastor Maldonado's Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at Turn 1, which pitched the former into the wall. However, despite initial concerns, his car escaped damage and he was able to continue in fifth place.
He managed to hold back Daniel Ricciardo and emerged from his first pit stop ahead of the Australian, despite Red Bull attempting the undercut. He put in a fine performance to take the chequered flag in fifth place, well clear of his team-mate Ericsson, who he out-paced all weekend.
Which rookie impressed you the most in Australia? Let me know on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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