Australian Grand Prix

McLaren-Mercedes driver Jenson Button won today's Australian Grand Prix in the 58-lap dash around Albert Park at Melbourne. Polish driver Robert Kubica finished second in the Renault, while Felipe Massa finished third in the Ferrari. Massa's teammate and current points leader Fernando Alonso finished fourth after recovering from a spin at the start of the race. Button's teammate Lewis Hamilton finished in sixth while Mercedes GP driver Michael Schumacher finished in tenth place. Pole sitter Sebastian Vettel spun out on lap 26 in the Red Bull.

This particular race was a lot more interesting than the Bahrain Grand Prix and had some drama before the race as Lewis Hamilton was stopped for some erratic driving in his silver Mercedes-Benz. It was nice to see Button win his first race for McLaren and perhaps he can prove me wrong in my previous post about his prospects for 2010. Obviously Vettel will be looking to rebound at the Malaysian Grand Prix next Sunday in Kuala Lampur after his poor start so far.

On to Malaysia.

Bahrain Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso won today's Bahrain Grand Prix in his debut for Ferrari with fellow teammate Felipe Massa finishing second. It was Massa's first race in F1 since last season's life-threatening injury at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren finished in third. Polesitter Sebastian Vettel finished fourth in the Red Bull Renault after giving up the lead on the 34th lap due to an engine problem. The 49-lap race at Sakhir also marked the return of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes-Benz after a three-year absence. Schumacher would finish sixth, followed by defending champion Jenson Button in the McLaren.

The race also kicked off the 61st season of F1 Racing with three new teams and five new drivers. Refueling has been banned for 2010 and certain tire changes have also been made along with a new points system.

I feel that the race for the championship will come down to a battle between Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel. I would not be surprised if Michael Schumacher becomes a serious contender as it has always been unwise to bet against him. I doubt Button will be a serious threat to repeat as champion and will likely take a back seat to Hamilton in terms of the top driver at McLaren. The rivalry between the fathers of both McLaren drivers should be interesting as both fathers have been very active in the careers of their sons.

With Ferrari throwing down the gauntlet today, it should be interesting to see how McLaren and Red Bull respond in two weeks at the Australian Grand Prix.