In the end, the Australian Grand Prix didn’t turn into the Red Bull dominated affair that many feared after being the runaway stars of Sunday’s delayed qualifying shoot-out. Kimi Raikkonen and Lotus F1 took firm control of the race while Ferrari possibly should have had both drivers ahead of Sebastian Vettel rather than just Fernando Alonso. But what does this mean for the season ahead?

The first race of the season and Pirelli’s latest development of its tyre compounds held up better than some forecast, delivering the mix of two and three-stop strategies that the Italian manufacturer promised. Kimi Raikkonen’s victory owed much to the preservation power of the Lotus as his nearest rivals couldn’t compete with his two-stop run to the chequered flag.

Just 22 drivers line-up on the grid this season (although HRT had a habit of missing the Australian Grand Prix anyway) with several new faces amongst them as well as a shuffle of pilots between teams.

Graphical representation of tyre and pit stop strategies for the Australian GP.

Jenson Button claimed his third victory in the Australian Grand Prix with an assured drive after a better start handed him the lead. Sebastian Vettel recovered from Red Bull’s relatively poor qualifying session to take second after luck shone on the defending champion in the form of a perfectly timed safety car handing him the chance to leapfrog Lewis Hamilton.

What a difference a year makes… Twelve months ago Sebastian Vettel was sitting on pole by a massive margin in Melbourne, now he finds himself sandwiched between Mercedes with a Lotus, and more worrying for him, two McLarens up ahead. Of course, he’s not the only one who’s suffered/enjoyed a change of fortunes, so how does the grid for the first race of the year compare with 2011’s encounter?