Australian GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

AUSTRALIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel took advantage of a mid-race virtual safety car to snatch victory in the first race of the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    The Ferrari driver had been running third for most of the first half of the race, but inherited the lead when team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton pitted for fresh tyres. Vettel stayed out as Ferrari split its strategy but pitted a handful of laps later when the virtual safety car was deployed.

    Hamiilton was left stunned and frustrated as the Ferrari emerged from the pits just ahead of him. The virtual safety car soon turned to a real safety car, bunching up the field. Hamilton remained close to Vettel on the restart but couldn’t find a way past the Ferrari. He fell away in the closing stages of the race as he tried to preserve his engine and finished five seconds behind Vettel.

    Raikkonen, who had challenged Hamilton early in the race, came home third.

    The safety car had been called out to remove the striken Haas of Romain Grosjean, who had retired only one lap after team-mate Kevin Magnussen had come to a stop with the same problem.

    Magnussen, who had jumped Max Verstappen for fourth at the start of the race, came into the pits on lap 22 of 58. The Dane managed to make it to turn three before coming to a stop with a loose wheel nut on the left-rear wheel. Grosjean suffered the safe fate, pulling to a stop at turn 1 and triggering the caution period.

    Daniel Ricciardo, who had also benefitted from the virtual safety car, was promoted to fourth, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Verstappen.

    Verstappen had a difficult race. Having lost out to Magnussen at the start of the race, the Dutchman followed close behind Haas but ran wide at the turn 11/12 complex on lap six. The incident left him with damage that led to an intermitted loss of downforce. He struggled with the imbalance for the rest of the race, spinning a handful of laps later, but managed to recover to take sixth.

    Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who had been awarded a five place grid penalty having changed gearbox after his qualifying crash.

    Stoffel Vandoorne and Carlos Sainz completed the top 10.

    The Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon narrowly missed out on points, finished 11th and 12th, ahead of rookie Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll, and Brendon Hartley.

    Williams’  Sergey Sirotkin retired just 10 minutes into the race with a brakes problem caused by a loose sandwich bag that had found its way on track, just before Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson retired with a loss of power steering.

    Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly was the only other retirement, suffering a power unit failure on lap 13.

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / +12 Points
5. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / + 10 Points
6. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 4 Points
9. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / +2 Points
10. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 1 Point
11. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
12. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France
13. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
14. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
15. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Wheel Nut
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Wheel Nut
RETIRED - Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / Power Unit
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Hydraulics
RETIRED – Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia / Brakes

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Australian GP: Qualifying - RE-CAP & RESULTS

AUSTRALIAN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the first race of the season while Ricciardo and Bottas suffered grid penalties. 

    Ricciardo was handed a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under red flags in Free Practice #2 and Bottas ended up with a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty after crashing out of Q3 early on in the session caused damage to the car which resulted in a gearbox change.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
5. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
6. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
8. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia*
9. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain
11. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
12. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
13. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
14. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France
15. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland**
16. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
19. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
20. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

* - (Ricciardo) 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for Red Flag infringement
** - (Bottas) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for gearbox change

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Australian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

AUSTRALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Free Practice 3 was the first session of the season where wet and intermediate tyres were put to use as rain soaked the circuit.

    Drivers were slow to head out but after the first 15-20 minutes, times started to roll out. Only one team opted not to run in the session: Force India.

    Neither Ocon or Perez put a time up for the last practice session of the weekend. With no rain in the forecast for the race, it seemed pointless to do wet-weather running.

    Lance Stroll struggled with a gearbox issue early on in the session but managed to get out and set the 14th fastest time with a 1:35.828. Rookie and new team-mate, Sergey Sirotkin was just ahead of him in 13th.

    Fastest of the rain-soaked session was Sebastian Vettel with a 1:26.067. Raikkonen was close behind as well as Sauber's Marcus Ericsson. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz in the Renault rounded up the top 5.

    Daniel Ricciardo was given a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under red flag conditions in Free Practice #2, when a loose timing wire was removed from the Start/Finish line. Ricciardo also received 2 penalty points to his license.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:26.067 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:28.499 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

3. Marcus Ericsson - 1:28.890 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

4. Max Verstappen - 1:31.680 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Carlos Sainz - 1:33.172 / Renault-Renault / Spain

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:34.043 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.174 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

8. Lewis Hamilton - 1:34.225 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

9. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:34.233 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

10. Fernando Alonso - 1:34.298 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

11. Pierre Gasly - 1:34.990 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

12. Brendon Hartley - 1:35.438 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

13. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:35.589 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

14. Lance Stroll - 1:35.828 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:36.171 / Haas-Ferrari / France

16. Charles Leclerc - 1:36.448 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:36.807 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

18. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:38.482 / Renault-Renault / Germany

19. Esteban Ocon - NO TME SET / Force India-Mercedes / France

20. Sergio Perez - NO TIME SET / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

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Australian GP: Free Practice #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

AUSTRALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The second practice session in Melbourne saw Lewis Hamilton secure the quickest time with a 1:23.931. Max Verstappen was close behind in second with a 1:24.058. Hamilton's team-mate, Bottas, rounded up the top three with a 1:24.159.

    Completing the top 5 were both Ferrari's with Raikkonen in 4th with a 1:24.214 and Vettel right behind with a 1:24.451.

    Both McLaren's finished within the top ten with Alonso in 8th and Vandoorne in 10th. Switching to Renault engines for the 2018 season could be what the team needs to stay within the top 10 for the other sessions. There is hope that McLaren will be able to fight for more points this season than in the previous ones.

    A Red Flag was caused when a timing wire came loose on the Start/Finish line on the track. Once it was removed, the session was back underway.

    Lance Stroll struggled with mechanical problems at the very end of the session but still managed a 1:25.543 to secure 14th fastest while Sirotkin was down in 18th with a 1:25.974, finishing ahead of both Sauber drivers.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:23.931 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Max Verstappen - 1:24.058 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.159 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:24.214 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:24.451 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

6. Romain Grosjean - 1:24.648 / Haas-Ferrari / France

7. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:24.721 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

8. Fernando Alonso - 1:25.200 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:25.246 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

10. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:25.285 / McLaren-Renault / Denmark

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.390 / Renault-Renault / Spain

12. Sergio Perez - 1:25.413 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

13. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:25.463 / Renault-Renault / Germany

14. Lance Stroll - 1:25.543 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Esteban Ocon - 1:25.888 / Force India-Mercedes / France

16. Brendon Hartley - 1:25.925 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

17. Pierre Gasly - 1:25.945 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:25.974 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:26.814 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Charles Leclerc - 1:26.815 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

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Australian GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

AUSTRALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 in the first free practice session of the 2018 Formula 1 championship.

    The last man to leave the pits at the start of the session, Hamilton quickly jumped to the top of the times.

    Improvements from the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo dropped Hamilton to third, but he soon returned to go 0.428s faster than Verstappen.

    He later improved again to set the benchmark at 1m24.026s.

    Team-mate Valtteri Bottas came closest to the reigning champion, but was half a second adrift of Hamilton.

    Verstappen finished the morning third quickest, ahead of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo dropped down to sixth by the end of the session.

    Romain Grosjean in the Ferrari powered Haas finished best of the rest. He took seventh quickest, 1.704s slower than Hamilton and 0.735s slower than Vettel. His team-mate Kevin Magnussen could only manage 17th quickest and completed just 13 laps.

    McLaren started the season with a mechanical problem. Both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne suffered an exhaust issue which limited their running. When the pair did manage to get out, the finished eighth and 10th quickest, with Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jnr putting himself just ahead of Vandoorne.

    Pierre Gasly narrowly missed out on the top 10, setting a lap time just 0.012s slower than Vandoorne. He finished ahead of fellow rookie Sergey Sirotkin, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon.

    Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez took 15th and 16th, ahead of Magnussen and Brendon Hartley.

    The Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc completed the order.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:24.026 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.577 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
3. Max Verstappen - 1:24.771 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:24.875 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:24.995 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:25.063 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.730 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Fernando Alonso - 1:25.896 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.922 / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:26.482 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
11. Pierre Gasly - 1:26.494 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
12. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:26.536 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
13. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:26.583 / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Esteban Ocon - 1:26.605 / Force India-Mercedes / France
15. Lance Stroll - 1:26.636 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
16. Sergio Perez - 1:26.767 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:27.035 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
18. Brendon Hartley – 1:27.745 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:27.964 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
20. Charles Leclerc - 1:28.853 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco 

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Australian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN F1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - "Finally, time to go racing! This isn’t my first time racing this year of course – I’ve already done a 24-hour race in Daytona and have a very busy season ahead of me – but I’m really excited about getting behind the wheel of the MCL33 for the first grand prix of the year.

    Our car showed a lot of potential in winter testing and, although we know we still have a lot to work on, we’ve already learned a lot about the package and how all the new elements to this year’s car work together. Australia is its first real test, and we need to work hard all weekend to bring all the ingredients together.

    Nobody can ever predict how other teams will perform at the first race of the season and that all contributes to the excitement. Melbourne is a great track and, after what feels like a long winter, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do.”

Stoffel Vandoorne - “Melbourne is a really cool season opener. The first race coincides with my birthday, and I’ve got great memories from last year as it was my first grand prix for the team as race driver. Now that I’ve got my first full season under my belt, I’m heading to Australia feeling confident, relaxed and refreshed, and I can’t wait to go racing again.

    I’ve been working hard all winter on my training and spending a lot of time with the engineers back at the factory to prepare for this year. Although the regulations have stayed relatively stable, there’s still a lot to learn and our package in particular is very different from last year. It’ll also be interesting to see both the drivers’ and fans’ reactions to the very first grand prix with the Halo.

    I’m really excited – it’s the start of a new challenge for all of us. I’m keen to maximize all the track time we have on Friday to work on set-up to suit the circuit conditions and prep for the weekend ahead. We won’t be getting carried away as we don’t yet know for sure where we stand compared to the other teams, but now the winter is over we all can’t wait to get started with F1 2018.”

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Australian GP: Circuit Preview

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2018 - CIRCUIT PREVIEW

Name: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

Location: Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia

Opened: November 20th, 1953

Length: 3.296 Miles

Capacity: 80,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 16

Race Laps: 58

2017 RACE STATS:

Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton

1st Place: Sebastian Vettel

2nd Place: Lewis Hamilton

3rd Place: Valtteri Bottas

Retirements: Romain Grosjean (Water Leak), Jolyon Palmer (Brakes), Marcus Ericsson (Hydraulics), Daniel Ricciardo (Fuel Cell), Lance Stroll (Brakes), Kevin Magnussen (Suspension) & Fernando Alonso (Floor Damage)

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Australian GP: Track Schedule

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2018 - TRACK SCHEDULE 

March 22nd / Thursday

09:00 - 10:20 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:00 - 14:30 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:25 - 14:40 - Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes (TBC)

15:00 - 16:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

19:15 - 19:45 - Track Tour (F1 Experience - F1 Experience Guests Only)

March 23rd / Friday

10:05 - 10:35 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:30 - 11:45 - Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes (TBC)

12:00 - 13:30 - Free Practice #1

14:00 - 15:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

14:25 - 14:55 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:30 - 15:40 - RAAF F/A Jet Reconnaissance Flight (TBC)

16:00 - 17:30 - Free Practice #2

March 24th / Saturday

11:20 - 11:50 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:20 - 12:00 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

13:20 - 13:35 - RAAF Roulettes (TBC)

14:00 - 15:00 - Free Practice #3

16:00 - 16:40 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

16:30 - 16:40 - RAAF F/A18 Jet (TBC)

17:00 - 18:00 - Qualifying

March 25th / Sunday

12:30 - 13:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:35 - 14:40 - 2018 F1 Drivers Photograph (Starting Grid)

14:40 - 14:50 - Drivers Track Parade

14:40 - 15:10 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

14:45 - 15:00 - RAAF Roulettes (TBC)

15:56 - 15:58 - National Anthem

15:58 - 16:05 - RAAF C-17 Globemaster Fly-Over (TBC)

16:10 - 18:10 - Race

* - Subject to change

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Australian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

AUSTRALIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS 

    Sebastian Vettel leads the championship after winning the first race of the 2017 season, after a poor strategy for Mercedes cost Lewis Hamilton the lead of the race.

    Vettel had qualified second and there was hope for Ferrari fans that Hamilton’s notoriously (relatively) weak starts would give the German the lead going into the first corner, but Hamilton got a strong start and Vettel was forced to defend against Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.

    Mercedes decided to pit Hamilton early, however, as the team was worried about tyre degradation. After the pit stop, Hamilton was running behind Max Verstappen whilst Vettel built up a strong lead at the front of the field. The Brit was told it was crucial to get past the Red Bull before the pit stops, but it was easier said than done, and Hamilton was only able to pass Verstappen when the teenager pitted.

    By this time, Vettel had already been into the pits and emerged just ahead of Verstappen. Though Hamilton was right behind the German now, he wouldn’t be able to catch him, and actually seemed to be threatened towards the end of the race by Valtteri Bottas, but the Brit finished the Grand Prix second.

    Whilst his teammate was making things difficult for Hamilton, the home hero Daniel Ricciardo was nowhere to be seen. The Australian had had a difficult weekend already with a crash in qualifying seeing him qualify tenth and a gearbox penalty putting him 15th on the grid. Ricciardo never even got that far, though, when he stopped on track on his way to the grid.

    The car was taken to the grid and the Red Bull team were able to solve the problem, allowing Ricciardo to start the race, a handful of laps behind the rest of the field. That wasn’t the end of Ricciardo’s problems, though, as the RB13 stopped on track again, this time with an engine problem, and he was forced to retire from the race.

    A number of other drivers were forced to retire from the race.

    Romain Grosjean, the first retiree, pulled into the pits after a promising qualifying performance from the Haas, smoke coming from the rear of the car. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer wasn’t far behind him. The Brit had been complaining about a reoccurring problem with the brakes, which saw him lock up at the same corner every lap. Marcus Ericsson, who had taken a trip through the gravel trap early in the race after contact with Kevin Magnussen, managed to continue for almost 30 laps before stopping on track for an unknown problem. Magnussen didn’t last much longer. He also pulled off to the side of the circuit towards the end of the race due to a suspension problem.

    Gravel also featured in Lance Stroll’s race. The rookie had made a promising start to the race, recovering from his P20 grid position. He had been slowly making up positions before he ran deep into turn 14 and into the gravel. The Williams driver continued for the rest of the lap, but pitted and retired soon after.

    Fernando Alonso was the final retiree. After a difficult preseason test, most were surprised to find Alonso running in the points. The Spaniard had started the race from 12 but retirements ahead of him had aided his progress and he was running in tenth when Force India’s Esteban Ocon closed in on him. Alonso defended well, and Ocon spent multiple laps behind the orange McLaren as Nico Hulkenberg closed in on the pair.

    As Hulkenberg became close enough for Ocon to have to worry about, the Frenchman made his move. Ocon tried to overtake around the outside of Alonso, pushing the McLaren onto the grass and letting Hulkenberg come up alongside the pair of them. The trio ran side by side but amazingly left room for one another and there was no contact.

    Ocon emerged from the battle in tenth, with Hulkenberg behind him and Alonso demoted to 12th. Not long later, Alonso came into the pits to retire, though McLaren fans were rewarded asStoffel Vandoorne was able to finish the race.

    Twelfth may not seem fantastic but, for Antonio Giovinazzi, it was far more than he had been expecting when he arrived at the circuit. The Ferrari third driver had been drafted in to replace Pascal Wehrlein, who felt he wasn’t fit enough due to limited training allowed by his Race of Champions accident. The Sauber driver started the race 16th, and immediately got stuck in to the race. The Italian defended well from a DRS-aided Lance Stroll early in the race, and eventually finished 12th.

    Vettel now leads the drivers’ championship, with Ferrari leading the constructors’ championship by seven points.

RESULTS:

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Netherlands / + 10 Points
6. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / + 2 Points
10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point
11. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
12. Antonio Giovinazzi / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy
13. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Suspension Failure
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Suspension Failure
RETIRED – Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / Brake Failure
RETIRED - Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / Australia / Fuel Cell Issue
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Hydraulic Failure
RETIRED - Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain / Brake Failure
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Water Leak

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Australian GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

AUSTRALIAN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton takes the first Pole Position of the 2017 Season while Daniel Ricciardo crashes out of Q3. Antonio Giovinazzi will be filling in for 'unfit' Pascal Werhlein, marking the first time an Italian has started an F1 race since 2011. Stoffel Vandoorne suffered from a fuel-flow issue and didn't make it out of Q1 while Fernando Alonso managed 13th, but moves up to 12 after Ricciardo's grid penalty for a gearbox change.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

8. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

9. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

10. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

12. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

13. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

15. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia*

16. Antonio Giovinazzi / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy**

17. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

18. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

19. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

20. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada***

* - (Ricciardo) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for gearbox change
** - (Giovinazzi) Filling in for Pascal Wehrlein since FP3

*** - (Stroll) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for gearbox change 

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Australian GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

AUSTRALIAN GP: FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The third and final practice session was dominated by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who set a new track-record with a 1:23.380. Ferrari was quick in testing and they're proving they're even faster in Melbourne. However, it wasn't the easiest session for Raikkonen, who ended up with a rear-left puncture and had to stop in a run-off area.

    Pascal Wehrlein has withdrawn from the rest of the Australian GP weekend, being deemed 'unfit' to race. Wehrlein explained that he does not feel he could withstand the full race distance, following missed training after his injuries sustained from his crash during the Race Of Champions. Antonio Giovinazzi will replace Wehrlein for the rest of the weekend. This marks the first time an Italian has raced in F1 since 2011.

    Mercedes continues to due well in Melbourne with both drivers finishing in the top 3. Bottas in 2nd and Hamilton in 3rd. Raikkonen and Hulkenberg completed the top 5. 

    At the end of the session, with only a handful of minutes remaining, Lance Stroll crashed coming out of Turn 10 and clipped the wall. The car sustained damage but Stroll was able to climb out and walk away uninjured. This comes after Palmer's heavy crash yesterday during FP2. The session was not restarted after the accident.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:23.380 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:23.859 / Williams-Mercedes / Finland

3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:23.870 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:23.988 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:25.063 / Renault-Renault / Germany

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:25.092 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.581 / Haas-Ferrari / France

8. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.948 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

9. Daniil Kvyat - 1:26.049 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

10. Kevin Magnussen - 1:26.138 / Renault-Renault / Denmark

11. Felipe Massa - 1:26.237 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

12. Max Verstappen - 1:26.269 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

13. Sergio Perez - 1:26.457 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:26.556 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:26.699 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

16. Esteban Ocon - 1:27.103 / Force India-Mercedes / France

17. Lance Stroll - 1:27.327 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:27.402 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

19. Jolyon Palmer - 1:28.320 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

20. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:28.583 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy*

* - Notes driver is filling in for Pascal Wehrlein

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Australian GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

AUSTRALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    It was Lewis Hamilton once again taking the top spot of the time-sheets in the second practice session of the first race weekend of the 2017 season. He set a 1:23.620, which is faster than his quickest FP1 time. Vettel was close behind in the Ferrari with a 1:24.167. Bottas, Raikkonen and Ricciardo rounded up the top 5.

    Haas had an eventful session and things seemed to only go wrong for the American team. Kevin Magnussen's session was hampered due to a water leak and Grosjean took multiple trips through the gravel during flying laps.

    Jolyon Palmer brought out Red Flags after a heavy crash that ended his session. While Palmer escaped uninjured, the same couldn't be said about the Renault and it was taken back to the pits with a lot of pieces missing. Team-mate, Hulkenberg, finished the session in 9th with a 1:25.478.

    Felipe Massa and Max Verstappen also missed some of the session after their running was ended early. Massa's was due to a mechanical issue that caused him to not be able to change gears and Verstappen's was due to damage to the floor of the car that was caused by a rough trip through the grass and over the kerbing. 

    Towards the end of the session, Marcus Ericsson lost the rear-end of his Sauber and spun into the gravel, prompting yellow flags and the Virtual Safety Car.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:23.620 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:24.167 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.176 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:24.525 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:24.650 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

6. Max Verstappen - 1:25.013 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

7. Carlos Sainz - 1:25.084 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

8. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.436 / Haas-Ferrari / France

9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:25.478 / Renault-Renault / Germany

10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:25.493 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

11. Sergio Perez - 1:25.591 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

12. Fernando Alonso - 1:26.000 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

13. Esteban Ocon - 1:26.145 / Force India-Mercedes / France

14. Felipe Massa - 1:26.331 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:26.498 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

16. Lance Stroll - 1:26.525 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

17. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:26.608 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:26.919 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

19. Kevin Magnussen - 1:27.279 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

20. Jolyon Palmer - 1:27.549 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Australian GP: Free Practice #1 - Re-Cap & Times

AUSTRALIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes topped the first practice session of the 2017 season and it was Lewis Hamilton on top with a 1:24.220. This is over 3 seconds faster than the quickest time of FP1 last year. Bottas was second with a 1:24.220.

    Red Bull was close behind, taking 3rd and 4th place on the time-sheets. Many speculated that it would be Ferrari up in the top 3 after their quick pace during the pre-season tests. However, it was 5th and 6th for Raikkonen and Vettel respectively. 

    Force India officially revealed their new pink livery in the pit-lane prior to the session. The new livery comes with a new Austrian sponsor: BWT. Sergio Perez finished the session in 10th while rookie Ocon finished further behind in 16th with a 1:27.656.

    Perez's former team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg, finished 9th for his new team, Renault, with a 1:26.183. He's paired up with Jolyon Palmer, who stays with Renault for another year. Palmer finished in 19th and had his session ended early due a 'seal-issue'.

    McLaren has reason to be relieved as they had an overall decent session. Neither car stopped on track or had any severe malfunctions. Vandoorne's car was up in the garage for awhile but both cars got laps in and finished with times on the board; Alonso in 14th and Vandoorne in 20th. Vandoorne also ran aero rakes on his car during the session.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:24.220 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:24.803 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:24.886 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

4. Max Verstappen - 1:25.246 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:25.372 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Sebastian Vettel - 1:25.464 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

7. Felipe Massa - 1:26.142 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

8. Romain Grosjean - 1:26.168 / Haas-Ferrari / France

9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:26.183 / Renault-Renault / Germany

10. Sergio Perez - 1:26.276 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:26.450 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

12. Daniil Kvyat - 1:26.514 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

13. Lance Stroll - 1:26.734 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:27.116 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:27.348 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

16. Esteban Ocon - 1:27.656 / Force India-Mercedes / France

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:27.667 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:28.539 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

19. Jolyon Palmer - 1:28.585 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

20. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:28.695 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78 & @Bethonie_Boost