Nico Hulkenberg (P7, 6 pts): 7.5/10
Nico Hulkenberg's biggest threat this year is the internal challenge presented by his new Renault team mate Daniel Ricciardo, who was inevitably the darling of the home fans attending the Australian Grand Prix. If any of this bothered the German driver then he wasn't showing it, going about with his usual quiet sense of purpose. Both drivers had missed out on Q3 in the previous day's qualifying session, but while Ricciardo was perhaps too much in a rush to make up for lost ground when the lights went out for the race, Hulkenberg quietly picked up three places which put him in a good position to work his way forward after the pit stops. He ultimately secures the factory team's first points of the season with a solid seventh place finish. With Ricciardo retiring after 28 laps, Hulkenberg can be content with the knowledge that first blood in this battle of the team mates has gone his way.
