Australian Grand Prix

Albert Park Results The Circuit View All Races

Results

Race George Russell 1:20.284 Fastest Lap 56 Laps DNF Lewis Hamilton 1:22.444 Fastest Lap 15 Laps DNF Qualifying George Russell 1:16.724 Fastest Lap 23 Laps 7 th Lewis Hamilton 1:16.960 Fastest Lap 15 Laps 11 th Read Race Report

The Circuit

Albert Park is the second street circuit we visit this year, after Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

The circuit was resurfaced in 2022, with metallic elements added into the aggregate to improve grip, but the track itself can be rather bumpy as it’s a public road when the F1 circus isn’t in town.

Track evolution is high and the need for braking fairly low, which often means we see long stints on the hard Pirelli tyres.

The circuit had lots of big changes when Australia was missed from the calendar for two years because of concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, with seven corners getting upgraded.

The transformations, which included the removal of a chicane and widening of the circuit at key parts, were done to aid more overtaking and help with faster speeds. As a result, George's front-row qualifying time last season was 3.5s quicker than Lewis’ pole lap in 2019.

Safety Cars are common at Albert Park and last year’s event had three red flags – the most ever seen at a single Grand Prix. It’s also a location that is known for its party atmosphere, with fans flocking to the events in their hundreds of thousands.

Usually, it’s hot and sunny in Albert Park, but it has been known to chuck it down with rain. Qualifying in 2013 was heavily disrupted as a result of the weather, with half of the session having to take place on the Sunday morning before the race.

Free Practice 2 was also impacted by the wet weather last year, and light rain showers are forecast for Saturday morning this weekend!

DRS Corners Speed Trap

• First GP 1996
• Circuit Length 5.278km
• Race Distance 306.124km
• Laps 58

Everything You Need To Know: Australia

F1 heads down under for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. Previously held in Adelaide from 1985, the race moved to Melbourne from 1996 and has been a favourite venue for drivers and fans ever since.

This street circuit has had several changes since its debut, most recently for the 2022 event, and features four DRS zones – the most of any track.

Lewis holds the record of the most pole positions at this Albert Park Circuit with an incredible eight to his name, six of those being with us.

The seven-time champion has stood on the podium on 10 occasions in Melbourne, with the team achieving 12 top-three finishes here.

The most recent piece of silverware for us in Australia came last year, when Lewis kept his cool to finish second during a race which saw a record-breaking three red flags.

Stretching over 5.2km, the Albert Park Circuit is designed around a lake and has one of the most beautiful backdrops on the calendar.

Drivers can find a good rhythm around these 14 fast corners and there are plenty of overtaking opportunities, especially with the additional DRS zone.

The iconic circuit brings with it a wild party atmosphere and used to be the first race of the season until Bahrain took its place after the coronavirus pandemic.

The schedule is back to normal this weekend, after two back-to-back Saturday races.

Two Free Practice sessions are held on Friday, with another practice and Qualifying on Saturday before the race itself on Sunday.

It’s the first non-night race of the year, and an early start for those in Europe – you best believe we’ve got our alarm clocks ready in Brackley!

Our Successes

Mercedes has had fantastic success around Albert Park both as a constructor and engine supplier. We’ve won four races, achieved six pole positions and stood on the podium 12 times as a team, and as an engine supplier those numbers become even higher!

It also holds a special place in our hearts, as it’s home to many firsts for the team. Lewis made his debut for us in 2013 here, we won the historic first race of the Hybrid era the year after and George secured his first podium for us at this race in 2022.

The team managed a hat-trick of consecutive victories in Australia between 2014 and 2016, the first of those being thanks to Nico Rosberg.

It was to be the first of 16 wins for Mercedes that season, as F1 introduced the 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 power units and started a new unforgettable era.

The season after, Lewis dominated the race with then-team-mate Nico helping deliver a 1-2 result. In 2016, Rosberg started his championship-winning season by getting a first place in Oz once again.

Valtteri Bottas also proudly stood on top of the podium for the Silver Arrows in 2019. Lewis finished just behind the Flying Finn in second, to give the team its 45th one-two result in Formula 1.

Last season George managed to qualify on the front row of the grid, with Lewis just behind in third. Once it was time for lights out, both our boys got flying starts with George leading and Lewis just behind in second.

George led, and pitted from the front when a Safety Car was deployed but ultimately turned into a red flag and scuppered the team’s strategy.

He would later retire, but that didn’t stop Lewis from finishing in second and getting his first podium of 2023.

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