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London, England - Were it not for Fernando Alonso’s crash and the subsequent red flag that followed, Nico Rosberg would probably not have been on the top step of the podium at the Australian GP.
But the German opened his 2016 account with a win and bagged the full 25 points in the process.
Closing 2015 with three wins in succession, Rosberg extended his winning run to four in Australia, but is adamant that the success he is currently enjoying will not cloud his judgement.
"That may be nice statistically but I'm not thinking much about last year, except that it gave me a positive mood going into Melbourne,” Rosberg said when asked about his feelings on his run of wins.
"I'm here now. And it was very important to start the new season with a win, so perfect job so far."
Rosberg has been beaten quite comprehensively by team mate Lewis Hamilton the last two years, but early signs seem to indicate that the title run may go down to the final race; if unpredictability prevails.
Ferrari breathing down Mercedes' neck
Rosberg is also weary of the challenge Ferrari, and in particular Sebastian Vettel, poses for the season ahead: "I enjoy the fight with Lewis and with Ferrari," the Mercedes driver said. "We still have some lead, but Sebastian is quite close to us now."
Both Vettel and his team mate Kimi Raïkkonen lunged past the Mercedes drivers at the start of the Australian GP, underlining the team from Maranello’s intent on challenging for the titles this year.
The next race is this coming weekend in Bahrain.