- Nico Rosberg wins F1 season-opener in Australia
- Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen complete podium
- Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel retires early
- Polesitter Lewis Hamilton also fails to finish
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(CNN) — Germany’s Nico Rosberg led from start to finish of an incident-packed Australian Grand Prix to score a convincing victory for Mercedes in the opening race of the Formula One season in Melbourne Sunday.
Rosberg finished over 20 seconds clear of Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, with rookie Dane Kevin Magnussen occupying the final podium position for McLaren.
While Australia’s Ricciardo could celebrate a stunning debut for Red Bull in front of his home crowd, his teammate and reigning four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a sorry opening to the season, retiring on lap six.
The German slipped back through the field after starting from 12th on the grid, unable to engage full power in his car before pulling out on lap six of 57 at Albert Park.
Read: Hamilton takes pole in Australia
The same fate also befell polesitter Lewis Hamilton, who was passed by his Mercedes teammate Rosberg off the start and retired after only three laps.
A crash on the first corner saw Kamui Kobayashi’s return to F1 with Caterham come to abrupt end, taking out an unhappy Felipe Massa in the Williams.
Massa’s teammate Valtteri Bottas showed the car was competitive, charging through the field until he brushed the wall on the 12th lap.
Debris from the incident meant the safety car was deployed, although Finland’s Bottas was able to recover to finish a fine sixth.
It was Rosberg’s fourth career victory and he was quick to praise his team for giving him such a dominant car under the new regulations deployed for the 2014 season.
“What a car you have given me, what a car,” he said on race radio.
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