Mercedes AMG Petronas have started their season in style, with Valtteri Bottas securing an emphatic victory over teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas jumped Hamilton in the opening seconds and no one was able to catch the flying Finn, who also claimed the first ever bonus point for the fastest lap of the race. 

It was a horror day for CAMS Ambassador Daniel Ricciardo, who was pushed to the grass on the opening lap, losing his front wing and damaging his Renault in the process. While the team was able to replace the wing, he eventually pulled into the garage and retired after 30 laps.

Ricciardo’s former teammate Max Verstappen rounded out the podium and at times looked like he might power past Hamilton, but an error in the closing stages gave Hamilton some breathing room.

It was a perfect weekend for Mercedes, locking out the front row in qualifying before their one-two finish on Sunday’s opening race of 2019.

Ferrari were tipped to push the Mercedes at Albert Park, but couldn’t mount a challenge with Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth and fifth respectively.

After a massive start to the year on Australian shores, teams will now prepare for the next race in just two weeks in Bahrain on 31 March.