Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas (L) of Finland and Lewis Hamilton (C) of Britain react after qualifying during the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia on March 25, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Felipe Massa earned points for Williams with a sixth-place finish, while Force India teammates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon were 7th and 10th in their pink cars and finished either side of Toro Rosso drivers Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat.

Antonio Giovinazzi placed 12th on his F1 debut for Sauber, a late replacement after Pascal Wehrlein withdrew following the opening practice sessions on Friday.

"I want to thank Sauber and Scuderia Ferrari for this opportunity," Giovinazzi said. "It was an amazing race weekend for me."Ferrari leads the constructors' standings by four points from Mercedes, with Formula One moving to Shanghai next month for the Chinese Grand Prix.

"Overall, I think not a disaster, first race weekend with the team," said Bottas, who joined Mercedes for 2017 as a replacement for Rosberg. "It's good to start with a podium this season and with a new team. Every position is important for the championship itself."Hamilton set the lap record with his qualifying run to take pole on Saturday, and there were expectations that the cars would go faster Sunday. But Michael Schumacher's racing lap record from 2004 stood up, with Hamilton predicting the 2017 cars would go faster as the year progressed.