Five stats from the opening weekend in Melbourne

1. In fifteen of the last nineteen seasons - including each of the last three - the winner of the opening race of the season has gone on to win the Drivers Championship. Jenson Button is now the favourite and the best price available on him is 3/1 with Boylesports.

2. The winning team at the first Grand Prix of the season have won the Constructors Championship in seven of the last nine years. Brawn GP are still available at 11/5 with Boylesports but Ferrari, who broke this trend last season to triumph, are still favourites. The best price available on the Scuderia is 11/8 with Ladbrokes.

3. Only once in the last 27 years has the driver who finished third in the first race of the campaign gone on to win the Championship. Lewis Hamilton will therefore need to follow in the footsteps of his nemesis Fernando Alonso, who did just that in 2006.

4. Felipe Massa has now retired from five of his seven Australian Grands Prix, never finishing higher than sixth at Albert Park. The Brazilian never starts well though and won’t be looking forward to Malaysia next week, where he has never finished in the top four.

5. Kimi Raikkonen has now gone fifteen races without a win, scoring points in just eight of those. He has finished on the podium in just four of his last eleven and hasn’t finished in the top two in that time.