(CNN) He started behind world champion Lewis Hamilton on the grid but Valtteri Bottas roared off the start to dominate the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The flying Finn raced past Mercedes team-mate Hamilton on pole and led into the first corner before stretching away to win by more than 20 seconds around the Albert Park circuit. Bottas also picked up the inaugural bonus point for setting the fastest lap as Britain's Hamilton battled to save second. The 29-year-old Bottas was fifth in the championship last year after failing to win a race, but he drove with precision and determination Sunday to score his fourth grand prix victory and first since Abu Dhabi in 2017. The start was really good, it was definitely my best race ever," Bottas was reported as saying on Reuters.

Source: CNN March 17, 2019 08:48 UTC