Hamilton's flying lap of one minute 22.188 seconds set a new record at Albert Park but was only 0.268 seconds in front of German Vettel, offering the tantalising prospect of a competitive championship after three years of domination by the Silver Arrows.
'The most important thing, I think, is really about finishing races and analysing and making sure you get as many race points as you can, of course'
Lewis Hamilton's world championship defence got off to a flying start on Sunday with a crushing victory for Mercedes in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Formula One rivals succumbed to a farcical rash of reliability problems.
Australian Grand Prix was cancelled due to worries about the coronavirus outbreak, after a McLaren team member tested positive before the first practice session was scheduled to get underway at Albert Park.
Formula One unveiled its longest and fastest street circuit on Thursday, predicting top speeds of 322kph and wheel-to-wheel racing when Saudi Arabia hosts a race for the first time in Jeddah in December.
Formula One could cope with up to 10 positive tests for COVID-19 when the sport starts the season in July, according to the chairman of the governing FIA's medical commission. Professor Gerard Saillant told Sky Sports television the sport would still need a 'red line', however, beyond which racing could not continue.
The South-East Asian country is a growing market for sponsors such as brewer Heineken and will give the region four races on the calendar again after the departure of Malaysia last year.
Lewis Hamilton captured pole position for Mercedes for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in a thrilling finish to a rain-hit qualifying session on Saturday.
Red Bull will put a 'very different' car on the track for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from the model which disappointed during the last test in Bahrain, reigning champion Sebastian Vettel said on Thursday.
The prospect of seeing Sebastian Vettel beaten for the first time since last July is just one of the many novelties Sunday's season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix promises to deliver.
World champion Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes in qualifying on Saturday for Formula One's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Details of the 19-race F1 calendar, which has the same number of races as last year. Start times are 1200 GMT (1730 IST).
Finland's Kimi Raikkonen won the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday, beating Ferrari's Fernando Alonso into second place at Albert Park.
The 19-race Formula One season, which starts in Melbourne on March 17, will have no new Grands Prix this year and one fewer than last season following the postponement of New Jersey's debut to 2014. The following box details each race and its key characteristics.
'We're absolutely confident the Australian Open will go ahead'
McLaren's gamble on overhauling their car for the 2013 season looked to have backfired on Friday when they had a miserable day in the first two practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
The Briton lapped the Albert Park circuit in a searing one minute and 21.164 seconds to cross the line 0.664 seconds clear of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
'I think we're still the top three teams. Merc (Mercedes) and Ferrari and us. I think we're still going to be leading the pack for now, so, yeah, hopefully we're deep in that front group and have a chance to stand on that podium'
Jenson Button ignored an incident-packed race behind him and calmly steered his McLaren to victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of world champion Sebastian Vettel on Sunday.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday ahead of Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg as the Silver Arrows continued to underline their dominance.
Lewis Hamilton was 'shocked' with the pace of Mercedes after notching a record-extending eighth pole position at the Australian Grand Prix ahead of team mate Valtteri Bottas as they thrashed their Formula One rivals in qualifying on Saturday.
Unlike the Australian GP, where the majority of drivers carried out only one pit-stop, of Sunday's second race of the season, at Sepang, Malaysia, will see at least two, says Raja Sen.
World champion Sebastian Vettel is understandably favourite to open the Formula One season with a victory at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend but there are strong indications he will face a much tougher challenge than he did last year.
Rediff.com prsents a selection of photographs from sports action in the last 24 hours.
Red Bull Formula One drivers Mark Webber of Australia (left) and Sebastian Vettel of Germany (right) play cricket during a press event before the first day of the Australian F1 Grand Prix on St. Kilda Beach in Melbourne.
Formula One's introduction of adjustable rear wings was intended to make overtaking easier and drivers agree this weekend's Malaysia Grand Prix will be the perfect venue to test its effectiveness.
Here we bring you all the sporting action from last week in this stunning photo feature.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was "more or less happy" to finish just off the podium at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday after a poor start left the Spaniard fighting tooth and nail for points.
Melbourne should cut its losses and not renew its contract to host the Formula One Grand Prix when the current deal runs out in 2015, a local lawmaker told Australia's parliament on Monday.
England cricketer Ben Stokes will test his driving skills against five Formula One drivers, including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, in the sport's second virtual Grand Prix this weekend. The World Cup winning all-rounder will team up with Thai racer Alexander Albon in the Red Bull line-up for his first esports competition.
Sebastian Vettel has lived through a number of false dawns at Ferrari but bright sunshine bathed the team's garage after the German's Australian Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
Here is a lowdown of all the light-hearted, fun news from around the ICC World Cup.
Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton dominated practice at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Friday, putting Mercedes on top of the timesheets and leaving his Formula One rivals with plenty to ponder before the weekend.
This year marks the first that two quadruple champions are competing in the same season and their battle to see who joins Argentine legend Juan Manuel Fangio in second place on the all-time list with five titles promises to light up the series.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel will go into Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix as a heavy favourite, buoyed by a comprehensive season-opening victory in Melbourne a fortnight ago to kick off his world title defence.
A coy Sebastian Vettel was determined not to get carried away with a blistering start to his world title defence at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
As the Formula One season unfolds this weekend, Raja Sen lists what to look out for.
As the Formula One season unfolds this weekend, Raja Sen lists what to look out for.
Formula One commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the Australian Grand Prix is as important to the sport as the iconic Monaco race but he could not force Melbourne to keep it if it was too expensive for the city.
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