The season kicks off with Vettel winning in Australia.
Gladiators. That’s what the new regulations wanted to make the drivers look like. And when you look at the speed they carry through the corners you can probably agree with that. But in the Australian Grand Prix, the gladiators were the tyres as pit strategy helped decide the winner – as Vettel came out on top against Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton secures the first pole of 2017 at the Australian Grand Prix.
For the first time in 2017, the fastest car in Formula One was finally revealed as Hamilton clinched pole for the season-opener. His 62nd career pole comes with a new Albert Park lap record. As Vettel puts Ferrari on the front row for the first time since 2015, while Ricciardo put his Red Bull in the wall.
Sebastian Vettel lays down the pace at the Australian Grand Prix.
Qualifying in Australia continues to near as drops of rain linger in the air. But while the rain holds off, Vettel set more than just the pace. All the while Wehrlein was forced to watch on from the garage after withdrawing from the race. Handing Ferrari’s reserve driver, Antonio Givoniazzi, a surprise Formula One debut.
Lewis Hamilton maintains his half-second advantage at the Australian Grand Prix.
A spin, red flag, gearbox failure and drivers running wide. Formula One, 2017 edition has not taken long before the limits are being tested. Yet the battle at the top continues to wait as Hamilton narrowly misses out on a track record while Red Bull and Ferrari wait in the wings.
A new season but a familiar name sits atop the Australian Grand Prix timesheet.
New, faster cars saw the benchmark time rapidly eclipse last year’s best. While the best remained Lewis Hamilton as the Brit topped the timesheet from Bottas, as Ferrari watched on from the garage.
The Australian Grand Prix, Formula One’s curtain raiser.
This is the moment Formula One fan’s around the world have been waiting for. As it’s time to get rolling down under, with the season about to get underway in Melbourne. In the red corner stands Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari’s men behind the wheel of the car they hope can finally topple Hamilton’s Mercedes amidst a season of reg changes. But will the Silver Arrows still fly highest or is their dominant reign at its end?
After Formula One kicked off the 2016 season, take a look at eight things we learnt from the Australian Grand Prix.
Australia. The opening race of the 2016 Formula One season started as a damp squib but ended with a solid race Down Under. With the weekend as a whole drawing much speculation and scrutiny at the new elimination qualifying format. Yet come Sunday, that format was supposedly abolished before 57-laps of action saw Nico Rosberg open the campaign with a win.
Nico Rosberg kicks off 2016 with victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg opens the year with victory at the Australian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton suffered a poor start and fell to seventh. A red flag later waved as Alonso went air-born, hampering Hamilton’s progress while strategy allowed Rosberg to win as Ferrari went aggressive with Vettel.
Sunshine comes to the Australian Grand Prix at last, as Lewis Hamilton tops the final practice session.
Lewis Hamilton continues to set the pace in Melbourne as Formula One prepares for its first elimination qualifying session. With rain interrupting Friday’s running, and FP3 times playing a part in qualifying, teams were out early doors to play catch up as they searched for tyre data.
Lewis Hamilton tops the first free practice session of the 2016 Formula One season at a rain hit Australian Grand Prix.
Albert Park, Melbourne, a place usually bathed in sunshine was finding its Friday bathed in showers of rain as Formula One kicked off their 2016 season. But when conditions where at their best, Hamilton flowed around the streets to top the first session of the year and start 2016 as he ended 2015.
Kyle Archer 