Good (early) morning and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from Albert Park, Melbourne.
After what seems like endless months of pre-season testing, 22 drivers will line up, wait for the five red lights to go out and begin the 2012 F1 world championship.
Lewis Hamilton qualified ahead of teammate and compatriot Jenson Button to take pole and secure an all-McLaren front row while two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel starts a frustrating sixth.
Find out how the race unfolds with us below.
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Post-race: Jenson wishes his Mum a Happy Mothers Day to the camera after being congratulated by a happy Vettel. Hamilton looks somewhat disconsolate after failing to take maximum gains from qualifying on pole. It's a similar feel to F1 in 2012 with McLaren and Red Bull dominating once again while Ferrari can only get one car to the end of the race. Certainly a gripping start to the new world championship and the perfect start to the campaign for Jenson Button. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for coverage, good morning!
Final lap: Rosberg clipped Perez on the final lap and a battle in the finally few corners resulted in Raikkonen climbing to a remarkable seventh. Here's the top ten world championship points scorers: 1. Button 2. Vettel 3. Hamilton 4. Webber 5. Alonso 6. Kobayashi 7. Raikkonen 8. Perez 9. Ricciardo 10. Di Resta
JENSON BUTTON WINS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX!
Button crosses the line and wins the season-opener in Melbourne. Vettel is second with Hamilton completing the podium lineup. Webber finishes fourth and gets his best finish at his home grand prix. There was plenty of action further back that I'll get to now.
Final lap: Maldonado crashes out! In his pursuit of Alonso, Maldonado spins out an smacks the wall.
Final lap: Webber's just 0.6s behind Hamilton but it doesn't look like he'll be able to get past on the final lap. Barring an awful error, Button has this one in the bag.
Lap 56: Bruno Senna retires late on as Button maintains his gap that is a little over three seconds ahead of Vettel.
Lap 54: Hamilton seems to have lost crucial ground on Vettel and his job now will be to prevent Webber getting through in these final five laps.
Lap 53: Vettel's setting fast laps and is now cutting Button's lead at the front, will the German make a late charge for first?
Lap 52: Webber wants a podium at his home grand prix, he's chasing down Hamilton as the Englishman falls away slightly from Vettel. Button still looking pretty out front.
Lap 51: The trio of Vettel, Hamilton and Webber continue to be separated by around two seconds. Will any of the three find some pace and be able to make a move?
Lap 50: In the battle for fifth place, Maldonado is hunting down two-time world champion Alonso, whose tyres are fading quickly in the final stages of the race. A fifth-placed finish for the Venezuelan would be a might achievement for Williams.
Lap 49: Felipe Massa, who had a horrid day at the office, is retired from the race!
Lap 48: Senna and Massa collide and the former looks to have a puncture. Hopefully not another safety car incident.
Lap 47: Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race and is the first man under the 90-second mark for the race. Can the 2008 champion get past Vettel? The race is without doubt Button's to lose now.
Lap 46: Button's streaked away from the chasing pack and it looks like the Red Bull-Hamilton-Red Bull sandwich behind will be the highlight of the final 12 laps or so.
Lap 43: Impressive from Button, who already has a three-second gap to Vettel. Hamilton in third needs to keep an eye on Aussie favourite Webber in fourth.
Lap 42: Button backs up the pack, weaving around like he's had a few too many and he's away! Remember no DRS for the next two laps. Button builds an impressive lead as Hamilton stays in touch with Vettel. No overtaking since the restart yet.
Lap 41: Obvious questions ahead of the restart, can Button get a gap ahead of Vettel, who is told to "burn" it? Will Hamilton be able to keep up with the top two? What about behind the top three, can Webber and Alonso threaten the frontrunners? Safety car in this lap, it's gonna be good.
Lap 40: As we wait for the safety car phase to end and racing to resume, here's a low down of the top ten: Button, Vettel, Hamilton, Webber, Alonso, Maldonado, Perez, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Kobayashi.
Lap 38: I hate to say it but Vettel does seem to get the rub of the green. He'll now start the race right behind Button, who asks his engineer what Vettel's pace has been like. Hamilton is third and it's awful luck for the McLaren's, who made their pit stop just before the safety car incident.
Lap 37: Safety car is out! Vitaly Petrov comes to a standstill on the pit straight and officials decide to put the safety car out to clear the incident. Vettel takes the chance to pit as well and he emerges ahead of Hamilton!
Lap 36: "Push, push, push" Vettel's engineer tells the world champion as Button makes his second stop and is followed straight away by Hamilton!. Vettel takes the lead.
Lap 35: Hamilton and Button will have to come in for fresh tyres soon. Hamilton really needs to not let Vettel close in the next five laps or so as the German cuts the deficit to less than two seconds. Alonso makes his second and expected final stop from fourth and puts on the medium tyres.
Lap 33: Hamilton seems to have lost his pace of a few laps ago as Button's lead is back into double figures. The 2009 champion looks favourite for victory now surely?
Lap 31: As Webber hunts down Rosberg, Maldonado looks to pounce from behind. Great, close-contact racing from the trio. Rosberg pits from fifth.
Lap 30: Hamilton's charge seems to be briefly halted as the gap remains at around 9.3s, Vettel is a further 2.6s back.
Lap 29: Midway through the race and Hamilton and Vettel continue to cut Button's lead. Webber, in sixth, looks quicker than Rosberg and should get past soon.
Lap 27: Massa loses two places as Raikkonen and Kobayashi get past on the opening two corners, dropping Massa to tenth.
Lap 25: Contact in the midfield as Maldonado and Raikkonen make contact. Both cars seem find but Maldonado has lost out positionally.
Lap 25: Better from Hamilton, who sets the fastest lap of the race and takes a second out of Button doing so.
Lap 22: Perez now slipping back through the field as Alonso, Rosberg and Webber go past. Vettel's the man with the pace and will surely be harassing Hamilton soon.
Lap 22: Perez could be going for a one-stopper and is doing marvellously to hold off Alonso. Up at the front, Button is 11.2s ahead of Hamilton with Vettel a further couple of seconds back.
Lap 21: The DRS gets Hamilton finally past Perez, who, let's not forget, started the race last, at turn one. Vettel doesn't take as long to pass the Mexican and gets the job done later in the lap.
Lap 20: Raikkonen pits from second as Hamilton looks to get past Perez, who is yet to stop. Hamilton's now only a second-and-a-half ahead of the menacing Vettel. Perfect for Jenson.
Lap 19: One thing you can say about that pit-stop phase is that it has worked beautifully for Button. He was 4-ish seconds ahead of Hamilton and the gap is now much nearer ten seconds!
Lap 18: Hamilton comes out behind Button and is just passed by Raikkonen and Perez at turn one. The Mexican may hold up Hamilton and Vettel could close. Vettel is the only driver to stop and resume with the softer compound of tyre. Hamilton and Button opted for the medium 'prime' tyre.
Lap 17: Vettel comes out of the pit just ahead of the rampaging Fernando Alonso and Hamilton does come in.
Lap 17: McLaren make their first stop as Button comes in from the lead. Red Bull respond and bring in Vettel at the same time. Surely Lewis will be pitted on the next?
Lap 16: Sauber's Sergio Perez, one of only two men to start on the medium compound tyres, is up to sixth and setting times up there with the leaders. Impressive stuff.
Lap 14: Raikkonen's in a Sauber sandwich in the midfield as the Lotus Renault man shows good pace, setting the fastest first sector of the race. Up front, Hamilton has maintained the 3.5s gap for the last few laps as Vettel closes. Webber pits from fifth.
Lap 13: Rosberg pits from fourth as Vettel shows his mettle with some McLaren-beating personal bests now that he has clear air in front.
Lap 12: Felipe Massa, who had reported problems with the rear tyres, is the first to pit out of choice as Schumacher retires from the race!
Lap 11: Schumacher's got a big problem and looks set to retire! It looks like the seven-time world champion has technical problems with third gear. Vettel can now hunt down the English pair at the front.
Lap 11: It didn't take Vettel long, he goes past as Schumacher goes off at turn one.
Lap 10: Vettel's race pace is clearly strong and the defending world champion is clearly being held up by Schumacher. The McLaren's could be out of sight if the Red Bull man doesn't get past soon.
Lap 9: Unsurprisingly, the top eight is made up of the McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes men despite them not qualifying in such way. Still evidently the strongest four teams.
Lap 8: Button's now three-and-a-half seconds or so ahead of Hamilton, who's a further seven seconds clear of third-placed Schumacher. Is Hamilton nursing his tyres or does Button simply have more race pace?
Lap 6: Superb racing as Vettel spins at turn one and is briefly overtaken by Rosberg. Vettel responds at the next and now Fernando Alonso is lurking behind the pair with home favourite Mark Webber also catching. This quartet could provide some entertainment all right.
Lap 5: Force India's Nico Hulkenburg is the second car to retire. The German was hit early on and has had to retire the car as Maldonado goes into the gravel but manages to recover.
Lap 4: Button's pulling out a commanding lead here and is well clear of the 1-second DRS zone ahead of Hamilton. Vettel's up to fourth and chasing compatriot and boyhood hero Michael Schumacher who occupies third at the moment.
Lap 2: First retirement of the race! Romain Grosjean, who did brilliantly to qualify in third, is out of the Australian Grand Prix! Pastor Maldonado tries to overtake and clips the Frenchman who breaks his steering arm and is out.
Lap 2: Williams' Bruno Senna spun out on the opening corner and is the first to go in the pits. Vettel overtakes Rosberg down the outside, great move.
Lap 1: Immediately Button gets ahead of Hamilton down the inside of turn one. Behind the McLaren pair, Vettel has lost a place to Rosberg while Alonso has climbed from 12th to eighth. Webber reports to his team that he thinks he was hit in dropping from fifth to ninth.
Lap 1: All of the front-runners are on the softer compound of tyre as the five red lights illuminate, hold for a second and we're away!
Formation lap: They're off on a single circuit before the start and the pit crews sprint off the track. Hopefully there won't be too much drama on the first corner for Sports Mole's first F1 live commentary!
05.59: McLaren will be delighted with yesterday's qualifying and the British pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will look to breakaway from the chasers. Behind them it could be a super race with Red Bull in fifth and sixth while Ferrari couldn't even make the top ten. I'm really expecting fireworks in the next couple of hours.
05.55: Good morning, we're just about ready to go in Melbourne. There should be 24 cars on the grid but the two Hispania cars have failed to be ready in time as Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan failed to achieve the 107% qualifying time.
Pascal Lemesre
