Hamilton dominates F1 opener as only 11 cars finish race

Melbourne

LEWIS Hamilton held off team-mate Nico Rosberg to give Mercedes a dominant victory as the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was hit by a series of withdrawals on Sunday. Reigning world champion Hamilton led from the start to the chequered flag, beating last year's winner Rosberg by 1.3 seconds, with Sebastien Vettel third in his Ferrari debut. Only 11 cars finished the race after mechanical problems and an injury to Valtteri Bottas left just 15 on the starting grid - the lowest number for a year-opener since 1963.

And Max Verstappen's record-breaking debut at the age of 17 years and 166 days ended on a sour note when his Toro Rosso suffered a power unit failure on the 34th lap. At the front, Mercedes were in ominous form with Hamilton finishing a whopping 34 seconds in front of Vettel, indicating a tough year ahead for the Silver Arrows' rivals. It was Mercedes' eighth straight victory, dating back to Belgium last August, and their 20th race in a row with at least one driver on the podium.