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Australian Grand Prix

Everything you need to know about the Australian Grand Prix

Round 03 -  March 31st - April 2nd

History

Albert Park Circuit, located in Melbourne, Australia. The circuit has been a part of the Formula One calendar since 1996 and hosts the Australian Grand Prix, which is typically the season-opening race of the year.

The Albert Park Circuit is 5.303 km (3.295 mi) long and features 16 turns, including a mix of fast and slow corners and several long straights. The track is known for its challenging layout and high-speed corners, including the famous turn 11, which is taken at over 250 km/h (155 mph).

The circuit is situated in Albert Park, a large public park in the heart of Melbourne, and features modern facilities, including a high-tech pit lane and multiple grandstands offering panoramic views of the track.

In addition to hosting the Australian Grand Prix, the Albert Park Circuit also hosts other major racing events throughout the year, including the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and the Australian GT Championship. The circuit is also a popular destination for recreational activities, with the park offering walking and cycling paths, playgrounds, and other amenities for visitors to enjoy.

The first Australian Grand Prix took place in 1996 around Albert Park in Melbourne. The first grand prix is mostly memorable due to Martin Brundle when he launched his Jordan car into the air crashing heavily in Turn 3 at the beginning of the race. In 2022 the track went under a layout change, the chicane in sector 2 is gone and is now just one long back straight before the fast left and right corners going into sector 3. Corners around the track have also widen to make overtaking better.

Bahrain Grand Prix Track.png

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

Turns: 14
DRS Zones: 2
Circuit Length: 5.278km (3.279 mi)
Total Race Distance: 306.124km (190.216mi)
Number of Laps: 58
Lap Record: 1:20.260 Charles Leclerc (2022)

What the 2023 Australian Grand Prix gave us

The 2023 Australian Grand Prix saw a chaotic race which included 3 different red flags. Max Verstappen took to the top step of the podium for the second time in 2023 ahead of 2nd place Lewis Hamilton and Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

The race finished under hectic circumstances as a late race red flag to clear debris from Kevin Magnussen's tyre failure. This lead to more choas on the restart as six different drivers collided with each other or came to near blows. Turn 1 saw Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso collide sending the Aston Martin driver into a spin and to the back of the field. Sainz was later given a 5 second time penalty and made him finish in last place. Further back on the last row of the grid rookies Logan Sargeant and Nyck De Vries came to stop in the gravel trap. Sargeant driving into the back of De Vries after a double front lock up on cold softs.

In avoidance of the Sainz and Alonso collision Pierre Gasly ran wide through turn 1 and rejoined the track in the middle of turn 2 and coming to blows with his teammate Esteban Ocon. The two Alpine drivers were unhurt but clearly annoyed as the team were on for a good haul of points. Meanwhile at turn 3 Lance Stroll was looking for a move on Sainz and over shot the corner seeing him in the gravel and nearly the wall after he locked up on a cold set of soft tyres as well.

Due to the multiple collisions and debris sprawled all over the race directors had no choice but call another red flag causing confusion up and down the grid. The race directors in the end came to the decision to end the race under safety car with the drivers finishing as the order before both red flags but removing the Alpine's, De Vries and Sargeant from the classification as they had all DNF'd.

Last 5 Winners

2023: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2022: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2019: Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
2018: Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
2017: Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 SCHEDULE

Friday March 31st:
Practice 1 (FP1) : 02:30 - 3:30 (Finished)
Practice 2 (FP2): 06:00 - 07:00 (Finished)

Saturday April 1st:
Practice 3 (FP3): 02:30 - 03:30 (Finished)
Qualifying: 06:00 - 07:00 (Finished)

Sunday March 5th:
Race Start: 06:00 (Finished)

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