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Race recap: 2016 Australian F1 Grand Prix a rowdy start to season

The three brief Formula 1 tests ahead of the current season belied how much had gone on since the last race in November: Infiniti subbed out for Tag Heuer, Renault is back, the all new Haas F1 team, a revamped Manor, three brand new drivers and two returning drivers, a raft of regulation changes among the newly tilled soil. The four engine manufacturers spent a combined 67 tokens among the 138 in the kitty, Renault using just seven of their 32. The only conclusive proof to come from the annual intermission was the otherworldly capability of Mercedes-AMG Petronas. The Silver Arrows didn't even try the super- and ultra-soft tires, focusing on reliability instead of speed. The result? They ran more than 19 race distances, obliterating the lap totals of every other team. There are certainly a few people who enjoyed the complicated new rolling-elimination qualifying format fast-tracked to approval just a few weeks ago. They were wildly outnumbered by those who thought it was awful, including the same team heads who voted for it. We'd probably have to go back to the debacle at the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix for an equivalent fiasco when Michelin pulled its teams over safety fears, leaving six cars out of 20 to qualify. In Australia, within 24 hours of the conclusion of qualifying, the new format had itself been eliminated. Nevertheless, qualifying also taught us what didn't happen over the winter: any other team progressing enough to outduel Mercedes. After admitting that he dropped off after winning the championship last year, then getting questioned in the press for some dubious off-season activities, Lewis Hamilton proved he can still turn it on when he wants to. The Brit smoked the Albert Park track in 1:23.837, more than three-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg in second place. Ferrari did make strides during the off-season, but only enough to keep the same gap it had to Mercedes last year: Sebastian Vettel lined up third, a half-second behind Rosberg, teammate Kimi Raikkonen another four-tenths back in fourth place. Max Verstappen said Toro Rosso is the best of the rest, the Dutchman taking fifth place in front of Felipe Massa for Williams in sixth and Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz in sixth. Daniel Ricciardo – who wasn't smiling after qualifying – kept Red Bull and its new "Tag Heuer" engines in the conversation with eighth on the grid.

Alonso gives McLaren until October to prove it can win

BARCELONA - Fernando Alonso said he has given struggling McLaren until October to persuade him they can provide a winning car next year or else he will talk to teams that can. The double Formula One world champion, preparing for his home Spanish Grand Prix, failed to start in Russia last month because of engine failure, a situation he described as "totally unacceptable". McLaren has not won a race since 2012, and has struggled for performance and reliability since entering a new partnership with Honda in 2015. Meanwhile, Alonso will be 36 in July and can sense time ebbing away. "My intention or first priority is to race next year here. And not only to race, I want to win," said the Spaniard, who is out of contract at the end of the year. "I am happy with the team, but we are not winning." "If from here to September/October we are in a position that I see clearly a possibility to win in 2018, I will be more than happy to stay with the team. "If it is not the case then I will be more than happy to talk to anyone." McLaren has yet to score a point in four races. The Spaniard is missing Formula One's showcase Monaco Grand Prix on May 28 in order to compete at the Indianapolis 500. Alonso said he would also have to consider whether "it was time to find other challenges outside Formula One", though he said he liked the 2017 specifications that gave cars a higher cornering speed. The Spaniard has spoken of his desire to become only the second driver ever to win the Triple Crown, which would mean adding victory at Indianapolis and the Le Mans 24 Hours to the F1 titles he won with Renault in 2005 and 2006. He said he still did not know what had happened in Sochi when his engine failed on the formation lap. That incident followed a no-start for Belgian teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in Bahrain. "There are some things we need to put in place, starting this weekend, for the rest of the season. Hopefully this is the starting point of a new championship for us," said Alonso. "We need to raise our game here in terms of reliability and hope to finish with both cars." Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Motorsports McLaren Racing Vehicles US

McLaren already has a special version of the just-out 720S

McLaren hasn't wasted anytime showing a special variant of the 720S. Just a day after the standard model was shown at Geneva, it rolled out a custom version built by McLaren Special Operations. It's the McLaren MSO 720S Velocity, and is one of five custom 720S models built by the company. The Velocity is the only one on display at Geneva, though, and its other models, the GT, Pacific, Track, and Stealth, are just shown on screens at the McLaren booth. According to McLaren, the Velocity and its counterparts are meant to show buyers how the MSO division can customize a 720S to their specific tastes. The Velocity specifically features a paint job consisting of both a light pearl red and a darker shade. The light red covers the tail and sides, while the dark red covers the front and top portions of the car. The two reds fade into each other, and the dark red even fades into a red-tinted hood from MSO. Other MSO carbon fiber parts adorn the exterior, too, and custom-painted bronze wheels contrast with the red. Inside, the interior is swathed in black Alcantara with bright red leather accents and stitching. And of course, more exposed carbon fiber bits from MSO decorate the cabin. If all of this looks good to you, McLaren would be happy to build one just like it, or something completely original, for you. The company estimates the cost of a car like the Velocity at GBP335,000, which is about $407,500 at current exchange rates. The final pricing for the standard 720S hasn't been released yet, but even if it's a bit higher than the 650S, which retailed at $265,500, the MSO version commands a steep price. But for people who absolutely must have a one-off car, it might be worth it. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.