(CNN) -- Jenson Button underlined the potential strength of the McLaren-Mercedes in 2012 with a convincing victory in the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne, the opening race of the new Formula One season.
Button had a quicker start than teammate and fellow-Briton Lewis Hamilton, who was on pole position, and never looked likely to relinquish his advantage, despite the intervention of the safety car giving some brief hope to world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel overtook Hamilton after the safety car was deployed on lap 38 when the Caterham of Vitaly Petrov stalled on the track and, for a moment, the German's Red Bull threatened to catch Button.
Flyover: Australian Grand Prix
But 2009 champion Button began pulling away once again and took the chequered flag a comfortable 2.1 seconds ahead of Vettel, with Hamilton a further 1.9 seconds adrift in third position.
Can anyone catch Red Bull Racing?
Vettel's teammate, local favorite Mark Webber, ensured McLaren and Red Bull took the first four places, while two-time world champion Fernando Alonso produced a superb drive to finish fifth for Ferrari, despite starting a lowly 12th on the grid.
Japan's Kamui Kobayashi finished an impressive sixth for Sauber while 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen came home seventh in his Lotus on his return to the sport after two years in rallying.
The second Sauber of Mexican Sergio Perez finished eighth while Daniel Ricciardo ensured both Australian drivers ended up in the points by securing ninth place for Toro Rosso, just ahead of Force India's Paul Di Resta.
The 2012 Formula One season sees the introduction of a four-hour limit for races, following last year's rain-delayed marathon in Canada. Charlie Whiting, the FIA's race director, explained the decision, telling the sport's official website: "Should four hours elapse during a future race, drivers will receive a signal telling them they have one more lap before the checkered flag."
Formula One rule changes for 2012
Button, who has now won at Melbourne in three of the last four years, told the official Formula One website: "Every win means a lot and, for us as a team, it really shows how important the winter is.
Australian Grand Prix: March 18, Melbourne
Formula One 2012: The circuits
"We've had a strong winter, Saturday's qualifying really showed that, so it's nice to come away with a victory in the first race of the new season."
Vettel, who is bidding to win a third successive world title, was philosophical in defeat, adding: "Jenson drove a fantastic race and was unbeatable, but I'm very happy to finish second, it's a lot of points.
"I think a lot of people would not have expected that after our performance in qualifying but I think we had a better car in the race and it seems to have a lot of potential," added Vettel.
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Teams can no longer use engine exhaust to produce large amounts of downforce -- a practice which has been prevalent for the last two years in the form of blown diffusers. Now exhaust pipes must exit in a defined area at the back of the car, not run along its underbelly.
Many of this year's cars feature a dramatic stepped-nose design. Whiting said this is to make sure the height of the nose was lower than the sides of the cockpit, therefore reducing the risk to the driver in the event of a collision.
In previous seasons, cars had to pass crash tests in order to compete in races. Now, cars must pass the FIA's 18 mandatory tests before the official preseason test events. "It is indefensible to have drivers testing cars in the winter that haven't met the safety standards we demand for a race," said Whiting.
As bizarre as it may sound, drivers have been told not to drive off the race track without good reason. "We've seen drivers taking shortcuts on in and out laps, either to save time or fuel," explained Whiting.
Pit stops are a crucial part of F1, and a race can be won or lost depending on how quickly the crew are able to replace a car's tires. In an attempt to save valuable time, teams have been known to power their wheel guns with compressed helium instead of air. But not anymore. "It saved fractions of a second," Whiting said. "It would have been a very expensive method of gaining no advantage."
The gulf in class between some cars means that the leading drivers often lap back-markers during a race. The safety car is deployed if there has been an accident on track or if conditions become dangerous. Drivers are not allowed to overtake each other under such conditions, but in 2012 strugglers will be able to un-lap themselves by going past the safety car and reforming at the back of the field.
Each driver is allowed 11 sets of tires to use over the course of a race weekend, but they must last through practice, Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race. Previously teams could only use three of their sets during Friday practice, but they will now be able to use as many as they like.
The highlight of any grand prix is seeing drivers attempt daring, fast-paced overtaking maneuvers. But now, when a driver has someone behind them, they are allowed to make only one defensive move to protect their position. This rule is to prevent potentially dangerous blocking strategies.
Malaysian Grand Prix: March 25, Kuala Lumpur 
Chinese Grand Prix: April 15, Shanghai 
Bahrain Grand Prix: April 22, Sakhir 
Spanish Grand Prix: May 13, Catalunya 
Monaco Grand Prix: May 27, Monte Carlo 
Canadian Grand Prix: June 10, Montreal 
European Grand Prix: June 24, Valencia 
British Grand Prix: July 8, Silverstone 
German Grand Prix: July 22, Hockenheim 
Hungarian Grand Prix: July 29, Budapest 
Belgian Grand Prix: September 2, Spa 
Italian Grand Prix: September 9, Monza 
Singapore Grand Prix: September 23, Singapore 
Japanese Grand Prix: October 7, Suzuka 
Korean Grand Prix: October 14, Yeongam 
Indian Grand Prix: October 28, New Delhi 
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: November 4, Yas Marina 
United States Grand Prix: November 18, Austin 
Brazilian Grand Prix: Sao Paulo, November 25 
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