5 things we learned from the Australian Grand Prix

The first round of the 2019 Formula 1 world championship is in the books and it was Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes who won out with Lewis Hamilton following him home in second to secure a one-two for the Silver Arrows. So, what did we learn from the opening 58 laps of the new season?

The Beard works!

Bottas got his season off to a flying start. After a 2018 season of disappointment and playing 'wingman' to Lewis Hamilton, the Finn sent an emphatic message to his detractors on day one of the season. Not only did Bottas cruise to victory, but his desire to take all 26 available points with the bonus for fastest lap also showed just how serious he was out of the gate. A telling radio message after the race says all you need to know, "to whom it may concern, f*** you!" He means business this year.

The order is already clear at Ferrari

Late on in the race, it became clear which driver Ferrari would be prioritising for the season, Sebastian Vettel. The German struggled with tyre wear after a miserable weekend for the Scuderia, dealing with set-up issues from the first lap on Friday. A radio call from the recovering Charles Leclerc told everyone who was going to be getting the preferential treatment in 2019 as the Monegasque was ordered to hold position despite being the quicker of the pair.

Honda, the power of dreams

It was a massive risk by Red Bull to split from Renault and join forces with Honda but the Japanese manufacturer appears to have leapfrogged their French counterparts. Not only was the Honda power unit reliable but it showed serious speed also. Max Verstappen alieving Vettel of third place got a loud cheer back in Japan and the Honda staff in Melbourne looked overjoyed to finally be back on the podium for the first time since 2008. The next few races could be very telling but on the face of it, Red Bull may have played a blinder switching to Honda power.

Expect some great racing in the next few rounds

Albert Park is always a hit or miss race, usually falling under the latter category as of late. Although we didn't see a great deal of wheel-to-wheel racing, drivers appeared to be able to follow much more closely behind another. A semi-permanent race track like the one in Melbourne might not have shown the best of the new aerodynamic changes but the next few rounds will be very telling and there is serious cause to be optimistic as we head to Bahrain.

Williams is in serious trouble

The Grove-based outfit has been woeful since the unveiling of the FW42, two days late after turning up late to testing. The lost time on track doesn't look to have mattered though as the team is firmly propping up the standings and, unless a miracle is found in the next few races, they will be rooted to the bottom. George Russell and Robert Kubica were the only drivers to finish more than a single lap down. While Kubica's return to the sport is nothing short of inspirational and Russell is still a great prospect with bags of talent, they both will be in for a very long season in 2019.