LIVE: 2016 Australian Grand Prix

18:28 - Many thanks for joining our live coverage of the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. Make sure to stay on F1i.com as we bring you all the reactions and latest developments from Melbourne. We will be back in this spot for the opening free practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday 1 April. See you then!

18:26 - Reliability remains a concern at Ferrari though, as Raikkonen was forced into retirement with his SF16-H catching fire in the pit lane.

18:25 - After yesterday's qualifying farce, the season-opening round of the 2016 F1 season was a much more thrilling affair. Ferrari clearly has the potential to challenge Mercedes, while Rosberg will be delighted to put Hamilton under pressure right away. Most importantly, we can't thank enough the progress made in terms of safety and are glad and relieved to see Alonso walk away from his scary shunt unharmed.

18:20 - Here are more pictures of Alonso's shunt

18:15 - REPORT: Rosberg beats Hamilton after huge Alonso crash

18:12 - Vettel is "ultimately happy with third", though he says the red flag "did not help us". Ferrari definitely looking like a genuine threat in the opening round of the 2016 season

18:09 - Hamilton relieved that nobody was hurt in the Alonso/Gutierrez accident, and says the race was a case of damage limitation after his sluggish getaway.

18:08 - Vettel stealing the show by pouring champagne on former Red Bull team-mate Webber during Rosberg's interview.

18:07 - And Mark Webber trots out on the podium for the traditional post-race interviews.

18:06 - Rosberg naturally leads the Drivers' standings ahead of Hamilton and Vettel. Mercedes already pulling away in the Constructors' championship with 43 points

18:05 - The German national anthem rings out in Melbourne. Second victory in Australia for Rosberg after 2014, his 15th career success. This puts him level with 2009 world champion Jenson Button. Hamilton looking understandably glum on the podium.

Lap 57 - The Frenchman manages to keep the steady Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India. Williams' Valtteri Bottas holds off the charging Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.

Lap 57 - Romain Grosjean crosses the line in sixth to give US newcomers Haas F1 Team its first championship points. "Listen to me guys, this is a win, this is a win for us!"

Lap 57 - Felipe Massa claims fifth after a somewhat uneventful afternoon for the Brazilian.

Lap 57 - Local favourite Daniel Ricciardo finishes fourth, which means Australians have yet to see one of them on the podium in their home grand prix.

Lap 57 - Sebastian Vettel rounds up the podium but the Ferrari driver probably had higher ambitions after leading at the start and through the opening stint

Lap 57 - Nico Rosberg wins the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, with the German drawing first blood in the Mercedes intra-team battle. Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton finishes second after a challenging race.

Lap 57 - Grosjean poised to give Haas points on debut

Lap 57 - Race leader starts his final lap. The German is about to clinch his fourth consecutive victory, having won the last three races of 2015.

Lap 56 - Verstappen back on Sainz' tail.

Lap 56 - Vettel rallies back to the track - "****, sorry guys!"

Lap 56 - And the German overshoots the penultimate corner, with the Ferrari slithering off into the grass.

Lap 55 - Vettel still trying to find a way past Hamilton.

Lap 54 - Post-race debrief at Toro Rosso should be fun then!

Lap 53 - Wow! The Dutchman actually hit his team-mate Sainz in the final sequence corners. That was clumsy from Verstappen, who clearly lost his cool after the slight pit stop mishap he experienced earlier in the race.

Lap 53 - Verstappen has spun in the final sector!

Lap 53 - Five laps remaining and Rosberg seems to have the race under control - 9.9s ahead of the squabbling Hamilton and Vettel.

Lap 52 - Vettel is on much fresher tyres. The Ferrari is on the soft tyre with the Mercedes on 34-lap mediums. Hamilton only had one set of mediums, so could not put a fresher one when the race was interrupter earlier.

Lap 51 - Hamilton feeling the pressure? The Briton has a big lock up and Vettel is back within DRS range!

Lap 50 - "I am alive thanks to the security that we have in Formula One", Alonso says. The Spaniard does not blame Gutierrez: "We were racing. We are both OK. That's the most important."

Lap 49 - Ricciardo clocks a new fastest lap, while Vettel is only 3s behind Hamilton.

Lap 49 - A great battle is shaping up in the lower top 10 positions with Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Sainz, and Verstappen all running nose to tail.

Lap 49 - Speaking of the devil... Verstappen catches a big slide on the exit of Turn 12

Lap 48 - Verstappen complaining again over team radio. The FOM even has to remove the explicit language from the angry Dutchman!

Lap 47 - And if you were wondering how damaged Alonso's McLaren was, here is a picture of the wreck after his rolls...

Lap 46 - Ricciardo, on much fresher tyres, easily whizzes past Massa to go up to fourth under the applause of the Australian crowd.

Lap 45 - Gutierrez speaking to TV reporters at the moment and saying he braked "on his right line" before Alonso hit him at the back and went into a scary shunt.

Lap 44 - Grosjean still maintaining sixth ahead of Hulkenberg and Bottas.

Lap 44 - The Toro Rosso drivers are still at it, with Sainz and Verstappen still squabbling over ninth place.

Lap 43 - Ricciardo pits from P3 to dich his soft tyres. Vettel back into the podium positions.

Lap 42 - Sainz overtakes Palmer at the first corner, with Verstappen also taking the Renault at the very next turn. That's two positions lost for the Briton in a matter of a few corners.

Lap 42 - Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost shaking his head, as Hamilton easily takes Ricciardo for P2.

Lap 41 - Ericsson lapping very slowly indeed. Looks like a problem for the Sauber. Big lock up for Sainz under Verstappen's pressure.

Lap 40 - "Push Carlos" - "I am pushing, don't tell me to push!" comes the reply from the angered Spaniard.

Lap 40 - "Come on, we have to do something!" Verstappen still asking for team orders...

Lap 40 - Sainz sliding a lot behind Palmer, Verstappen right on the Spaniard's tail.

Lap 39 - Vettel now fourth and 20s behind race leader Rosberg.

Lap 39 - "Can I try to pass?" - Verstappen clearly eager to get past his team-mate and Palmer. "It's taking too much time. Let me try."

Lap 38 - Third-placed Hamilton lapping faster than Ricciardo in P2.

Lap 37 - Grosjean up to sixth in the medium-shod Haas. Massa ahead of him in fifth.

Lap 36 - Palmer is currently running in the points in ninth. Sainz losing a lot of time behind with Verstappen already breathing down his neck.

Lap 35 - The Ferrari has gone back out on the soft tyre.

Lap 35 - And Rosberg leads. Could this be a turning point? Vettel loses time in the pits, with a slight issue on the front left tyre!

Lap 35 - Ferrari mechanics getting ready for Vettel. Will he go for softs or mediums?

Lap 35 - Verstappen has actually fallen all the way back to 12th

Lap 34 - Rosberg now 1s behind Vettel.

Lap 34 - Sainz gets past Perez thanks a to a nice move. Verstappen clearly unimpressed at his team "How many times have I told you I had problems with the tyres. I wanted to pit first. F***"

Lap 33 - Verstappen rejoins the fray in 10th and behind his team-mate.

Lap 33 - The Dutchman loses a lot of time... the tyres were not ready!

Lap 33 - Rosberg now closing in on Rosberg, as Verstappen pits and switches to the medium compound as well.

Lap 32 - Sainz on the radio: "Guys, we need to stop" before diving into the pit lane. Medium tyres for the Toro Rosso. Hamilton up to fifth behind Verstappen.

Lap 32 - Button pits and swaps his supersoft tyres for mediums.

Lap 31 - Can the medium-shod cars make it until the end? Teams have not really trialled the white-marked compound this weekend. Rosberg inching closer to Vettel at the front. Ricciardo is 8.1s adrift of Rosberg.

Lap 30 - Great battle between former team-mates Perez and Button. The Force India driver reclaims the position he lost a wee bit earlier to the McLaren star.

Lap 29 - Hamilton still stuck behind Sainz' Toro Rosso as we reach the halfway mark here in Melbourne.

Lap 28 - Ericsson drives through the pit lane following his penalty.

Lap 27 - Yellow flags were briefly waved in the second sector. They are gone now.

Lap 26 - Drive-through for Ericsson. Sauber worked on the Swede's car at the 15-second signal during the race interruption.

Lap 25 - Grosjean up to eighth, with the Haas driver getting a free stop with the red flag. The Frenchman is on the medium compound and heading the Mercedes-powered Force India and Williams of Hulkenberg and Bottas respectively.

Lap 25 - Ferrari's reliability already was worrisome last winter and it struck on Raikkonen's car.

Lap 24 - Hamilton still stuck behind the Toro Rosso duo.

Lap 24 - Vettel pulling away at the front - 3.7s ahead of Rosberg now.

Lap 24 - The über cool Raikkonen did not seem to blink, as a mechanic rushed with a fire extinguisher.

Lap 23 - More drama in the pit lane, with Raikkonen's Ferrari catching fire. Flames coming out of the airbox. "I broke something", said the Finn before entering the pit lane.

Lap 22 - Will the red flag play into Mercedes' hands. Vettel's Ferraro. still on the supersoft rubber

Lap 22 - DRS is enabled again.

Lap 22 - Rosberg has also switched to the medium tyre during the race interruption.

Lap 21 - New fastest lap for Vettel already. Further back in the field, nice overtake from Button on former team-mate Perez. That was for P12.

Lap 20 - Hamilton trying to force Sainz into making a mistake. Big lock up for the Spaniard.

Lap 20 - But it's now Sainz' turn to put team-mate Verstappen under pressure.

Lap 20 - Hamilton already hunting down Sainz. Vettel leads away at the restart.

Lap 19 - Quick update on the current standings: Vettel leads from Rosberg and Raikkonen. Ricciardo is fourth, ahead of fellow Red Bull stablemates Verstappen and Sainz. Hamilton P7 with the SC in this lap already.

Lap 19 - The race gets back under way behind the Safety Car.

Lap 19 - Gutierrez also back in the paddock. The Mexican looks a bit sheepish.

Lap 19 - Alonso is back in the paddock and he gives a big hug to racing director Eric Boullier.

Lap 19 - The start will resume under Safety Car conditions. Race stewards will naturally investigate the collision between Alonso and Gutierrez.

Lap 19 - Hamilton is not the only driver to have gone for mediums. So are Force India's Hulkenberg and Perez.

Lap 19 - Drivers are getting ready, putting their helmets back on.

Lap 19 - Alonso clearly looked shaken while waving at the crowd moments earlier. Delayed broadcast show Gutierrez immediately enquired about Fernando's health. "Is he OK?", the Mexican anxiously asked.

Lap 19 - Race will resume at 16:55, local time, race control says. That's in 10 minutes.

Lap 19 - Images of the destroyed McLaren are hugely impressive. Only the survival cell remaining.

Lap 19 - Replays in real speed are very scary indeed. We can not thank enough the relentless progress made in terms of safety. Wheel tethers worked perfectly.

Lap 19 - Alonso waving at the crowd. That's a massive relief here in Melbourne.

Lap 19 - Scary images: Alonso was about to overtake the Haas on the outside of Turn 3 when he hit the back of Gutierrez. This sent the Spaniard in a series of scary flips in the gravel trap before hitting the tyre wall.

Lap 19 - Red flag!

Lap 18 - Safety Car, obviously! So many debris on track. A stream of cars in the pit lane.

Lap 17 - Oh my dear! Terrible accident betwen Gutierrez and Alonso! The Spaniard's McLaren is upside down! Both drivers are out safely but that MP4-31 is totally destroyed.

Lap 17 - Raikkonen pits and stays on the supersoft, while Hamilton bolts a set of mediums! That's quite a surprise. Is the Briton trying to go until the end.

Lap 16 - Looks like Hamilton is not going to let Rosberg past despite both drivers being on two very different strategies.

Lap 16 - Rosberg is going to breathe past his team-mate in a few moments. Has Mercedes made a mistake in terms of strategy?

Lap 15 - Raikkonen now in the lead, 11,8s ahead of Hamilton. Both drivers have yet to stop. Vettel hot on Hamilton's heels and the Ferrari is through!

Lap 15 - Verstappen has actually pitted. The Dutchman is already on the move in the lower top 10 positions.

Lap 15 - Ricciardo overtakes Button for P7

Lap 14 - Ferrari being aggressive by bolting a new set of supersofts on Vettel's SF16-H

Lap 14 - Ferrari playing a very aggressive strategy. Vettel feeds back right ahead of Rosberg. Can the four-time world champion resist the Mercedes?

Lap 13 - Mercedes is going to extend Hamilton's stint in order to "switch strategy". Not the ideal afternoon for the Briton. Vettel in the pits!

Lap 13 - Rosberg trying the undercut on Raikkonen. Rosberg returns on track and managed to stay ahead of the incoming Perez.

Lap 12 - Nice little battle between Palmer and Bottas in the pack. Good piece of defensive driving from the British rookie, but Bottas finally gets through.

Lap 12 - Massa pits. The Brazilian's pace has really tailed off on the supersoft. Will Massa return ahead of Sainz, who tried the undercut.

Lap 11 - Red Bul confirmed Kvyat had an electrical issue on the grid, which led to another heartbreaking retirement in Australia for the Russian.

Lap 11 - Mercedes mechanics getting ready but neither Rosberg nor Hamilton stop. The triple world champion is 12s adrift of Vettel.

Lap 10 - Ricciardo overtakes Massa at the first corner in a DRS-aided move. Up the road, Hamilton says he 'can not get past this guy', this guy being Verstappen.

Lap 10 - Drivers on the supersoft compound are starting to struggle compared to the soft-shod cars.

Lap 9 - Vettel 2.3s clear of team-mate Raikkonen. Sainz the first driver in the pits. The Spaniard was stuck behind Massa. And that's a slow stop for Sainz who returns in the pack.

Lap 8 - The gap between race leader Vettel and Hamilton is already up to seven seconds.

Lap 8 - The Mercedes can not get close enough to the STR11 at the moment. Verstappen even increased his gap by a couple of tenths.

Lap 7 - Hamilton already hot on Verstappen's heels. The Toro Rosso does not have the same oomph in terms of engine power.

Lap 6 - Rosberg closing in on second-placed Raikkonen but the Mercedes can't get close enough at the moment.

Lap 5 - Ricciardo reclaims the eight position after sliding down to ninth behind Perez at the start.

Lap 4 - Hamilton was a bit squeezed on the outside at the first corner and lost a bit of his front wing. Replay shows that Button was the culprit in Magnussen's puncture.

Lap 4 - Replay shows how Vettel sneaked in between the two Mercedes at the start. Great stuff from the four-time world champion.

Lap 4 - And Hamilton overtakes Massa at Turn 3/4, Next up on the road: Verstappen, who enjoyed a smooth launch. Vettel still pounding away at the front.

Lap 3 - Further back in the pack. Tremendous start for Wehrlein, who is already up to P14.

Lap 3 - Vettel putting the hammer down in front, with the Ferrari driver clocking a new fastest lap

Lap 2 - Magnussen pits for new tyres following his first-lap puncture.

Lap 2 - Gutierrez already reporting an issue with his Ferrari power unit on the Haas.

Lap 2 - That was a dreadful launch for Hamilton, who is now chasing fifth-placed Massa in the Williams. DRS only available at the end of the second lap.

16:08 - Raikkonen also had a great getaway. The Finn is second, with Rosberg third. Trouble in the pack with Magnussen reporting a puncture.

16:07 - Terrible start for Hamilton, down to sixth! Vettel lead into the first corner. What a start by the Ferrari ace!

16:06 - And they are all back on the grid

16:05 - Second formation lap under way at the moment. Could anyone feel increased pressure and maybe be tentative?

16:03 - Yellow flags are waved and the drivers set off for another formation lap. Kvyat clambers out of his Red Bull RB12. Looks like we have our first retiree of the 2016 season. Is the Russian doomed in Australia? Kvyat already suffered troubles in Melbourne last year and could not start the race.

16:02 - And looks like there is an issue on the grid... Daniil Kvyat has stalled on the grid!

16:01 - Drivers are rounding up the final corner to line up on the grid. We will get under way pretty soon. Are you guys excited? Can you see maybe a Ferrari stun the Mercedes on the first row of the grid? It's been a long winter and they are all ready to go...

16:00 - And all the field gets away from the line smoothly to complete the traditional formation lap ahead of the 58-lap contest. All top eight drivers are on the red-marked Pirelli supersoft tyre

15:58 - The final big change this year is the revamped tyre regulations, which was devised in order to give teams and drivers a greater scope in their tyre strategy. We'll see how this can impact the race's outcome.

15:56 - Alright folks, looks like we are all set for the opening round of the 2016 F1 season. Few changes to look forward includes the FIA's stricter ban on radio communication between teams and drivers. The sport's governing body wants to give more decision making powers back to the racers, so has issued new restrictions on what pit walls can tell their drivers. Let's see how this fresh clampdown will play out.

15:55 - Rio Haryanto outqualified his highly rated team-mate Pascal Wehrlein at Manor but he was handed a three-place grid penalty for his FP3 collision with Grosjean. This means Wehrlein starts 21st with Haryanto, who will become the first Indonesian racer to start an F1 grand prix in less than five minutes, next to him.

15:52 - F1 rookies Haas were disappointed with the botched qualifying performances: Romain Grosjean lines up 19th with the returning Esteban Gutierrez alongside him in 20th.

15:51 - Daniil Kvyat was the biggest surprise in yesterday's qualifying, with the Red Bull driver knocked out in Q2. The Russian starts from 18th.

15:50 - Marcus Ericsson is 15th in the lead Sauber, while team-mate Felipe Nasr 17th behind Bottas.

15:49 - For its return as a constructor, Renault was pleased to see drivers Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen reach Q2. The British rookie lines up 13th ahead of his more experienced team-mate.

15:48 - This benefits the two McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Jenson, who respectively move up to P11 and P12.

15:47 - Williams' Valtteri Bottas qualified 11th yesterday but the Finn was hit with a five-grid penalty so he will line up a lowly 16th on today's grid.

15:46 - Coming off its best ever season with fifth in the Constructors' championship, Force India places its two drivers on the fifth row of the grid, with Sergio Perez heading Nico Hulkenberg.

15:45 - Remember that Red Bull is using the latest specification of the Renault power unit, though under the TAG Heuer moniker, while Toro Rosso races a late-2015 Ferrari unit.

15:44 - The fourth row of the grid is occupied by Verstappen's team-mate Carlos Sainz, which underlines Toro Rosso's strong form. The Spaniard heads the lead Red Bull of home hero Daniel Ricciardo. Not sure the energy drinks giant will be too pleased with its junior squad outqualifying its bigger team.

15:42 - Last year's standout rookie Max Verstappen is already delivering headline performances. The Toro Rosso ace lines up fifth on the Australian Grand Prix grid, his best ever qualifying result. Alongside the Dutchman is F1 veteran and 11-time grand prix winner Felipe Massa in the lead Williams. The Brazilian has a little bit of history at the start here with several retirements at the first corner. The ex-Ferrari stalwart will hope for a smoother getaway this time around.

15:37 - Behind the two Mercedes, Ferrari has locked out the second row of the grid, with Sebastian Vettel heading team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The German said yesterday that the the Italian outfit would be much closer to the reigning Constructors' champions in race trim. Do you think Ferrari can take the challenge to Mercedes? Feel free to share your predictions and thoughts in our comments section below

15:35 - NEWS: F1 qualifying reverts to old format

15:32 - Most of you were not impressed with the new elimination-style qualifying system, which resulted in farcical scenes yesterday in Melbourne. Well, don't worry too much for the knockout format has already been ditched, with F1 reverting to the old system as early as the next round in Bahrain following a crisis meeting of team bosses this morning in Australia.

15:31 - Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton lines up on pole position for the third consecutive year Down Under, having outqualified his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

15:30 - Hello and welcome back to F1i’s live coverage to the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. Wherever you are in the world, many thanks for joining us for the opening round of this year's Formula One season. We are only 30 minutes away from the start.