Highlights
Series
Explore
For graphic proof of just how much Formula 1 has deteriorated in exactly 12 months, just consider the contrasts between the 2014 Australian Grand Prix and the latest edition of the traditional season opener, held at the same circuit a year on.
Where the sport last year managed to field 22 cars despite considerable obstacles created by F1's then-brand-new hybrid power units and totally revised technical regulations - and deliver an enthralling race with 13 classified finishers - this year it was nip and tuck whether 13 cars would even take the start.
As one cynical local journalist tweeted, if Sydney was indeed serious about hijacking Melbourne's race after the current contract expires (in 2020), Sunday's show must surely have created introspection in the offices of incumbent New South Wales Premier Baird, whose pre-election manifesto includes an AU$180million concept that has cars racing across the Pacific city's iconic bridge.
