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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 15: (L-R front) Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Ferrari, Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP, Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Daniil Kvyat of Russia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Felipe Massa of Brazil and Williams, (L-R middle) Jenson Button of Great Britain and McLaren Honda, Kevin Magnussen of Denmark and McLaren Honda, Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Force India, Sergio Perez of Mexico and Force India, Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Scuderia Toro Rosso and Carlos Sainz of Spain and Scuderia Toro Rosso, (L-R back) Romain Grosjean of France and Lotus, Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela and Lotus, Marcus Ericsson of Sweden and Sauber F1, Felipe Nasr of Brazil and Sauber F1, Will Stevens of Great Britain and Manor Marussia and Roberto Merhi of Spain and Manor Marussia pose on the grid for the drivers' photograph before the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 15, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20150315-00071 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //
The Australian Grand Prix technically originated in 1953 at the Albert Park Circuit, and Doug Whiteford took the win. However, it was a non-championship race, and the Australian Grand Prix was not integrated until 1985 in Adelaide. Williams driver Keke Rosberg became the first Australian Grand Prix winner in the F1 championship.
The first F1 championship winner at Albert Park was Damon Hill in 1996, again for Williams F1. Since then, Formula One has been a regular visitor in Melbourne. It is also worth mentioning that the Albert Park circuit has been the season-opening race, 21 times out of 24 races.
The 2021 event was originally scheduled to open the season in March but has been moved to November due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
The Australian Grand Prix was supposed to kick off the 2020 Formula One Season. However, the race down under was called off before it could really take off. The Pandemic meant a delayed start to the F1 season, with Albert Park, unfortunately, missing out on the 2020 calendar.
Since 1996 it has been held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne every year, with the exception of 2020 when the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Name | Nationality | Year |
Michael Schumacher | Germany | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
Alain Prost | France | 1982, 1986, 1988 |
Jenson Button | United Kingdom | 2009, 2010, 2012 |
Sebastian Vettel | Germany | 2011, 2017, 2018 |
Gerhard Berger | Austria | 1987, 1992 |
Ayrton Senna | Brazil | 1991, 1993 |
Damon Hill | United Kingdom | 1995, 1996 |
David Coulthard | United Kingdom | 1997, 2003 |
Kimi Raikkonen | Finland | 2007, 2013 |
Lewis Hamilton | United Kingdom | 2008, 2015 |
Nico Rosberg | Germany | 2014, 2016 |
Constructor | Year |
Ferrari | 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2017, 2018 |
McLaren | 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
Williams | 1985, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
Mercedes | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 |
Renault | 2005, 2006 |
The circuit utilizes parts of the public roads surrounding the Albert Park Lake. The road sections were rebuilt ahead of the 1996 race to ensure consistency and smoothness. This is where the Albert Park circuit differs from other street-going circuits.
The track itself appears fast and relatively easy to drive. The drivers have even praised the circuit for being easy to learn and achieve competitive times. However, the flat terrain around the lake, coupled with a track design that features few true straights, means that the track is not conducive to overtaking.
Each year, most of the motorsport infrastructure is constructed two months ahead of the Grand Prix weekend. Following that, they are removed within six weeks.
The land around the circuit has restricted access during that entire period. However, there usually is some amount of dissent from local residents. Nevertheless, the event is reasonably popular in Melbourne and Australia.
Tickets are mostly available on the official Formula One website.
Session | Day | Time(Track Time) |
FP1 | Friday, 19 November | 12:30 - 13:30 |
FP2 | Friday, 19 November | 16:00 - 17:00 |
FP3 | Saturday, 20 November | 14:00 - 15:00 |
Qualifying | Saturday, 20 November | 17:00 - 18:00 |
Race | Sunday, 21 November | 17:00 - 19:00 |