2008 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton opened the season with a commanding victory in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. Three safety-car periods and a string of accidents and failures left a depleted field behind him, with Nick Heidfeld second and Nico Rosberg celebrating his first Formula 1 podium.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:26.714
Fastest lap	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:27.418 on lap 43
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Third	Nico Rosberg	Williams

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
14 March 2008	Practice 1	10:00
14 March 2008	Practice 2	14:00
15 March 2008	Practice 3	11:00
15 March 2008	Qualifying	14:00
16 March 2008	Race	15:30

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

The 2008 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Albert Park Circuit hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.

Race entries

Fernando Alonso returned to Renault alongside debutant Nelson Piquet, while Heikki Kovalainen moved to McLaren. Sébastien Sebastien Bourdais joined Toro Rosso, Timo Glock took a Toyota seat and Kazuki Nakajima began his first full season with Williams. Force India replaced Spyker, pairing Giancarlo Fisichella with Adrian Sutil.

Free Practice

Kimi Räikkönen began his title defence by leading FP1, with Ferrari and McLaren clearly ahead of the chasing cars. Nelson Piquet’s first race weekend got off to a difficult start when he spun at Ascari and caused a brief red flag. The dry running gave teams their first competitive comparison under the new ban on traction control.

Lewis Hamilton moved McLaren ahead in FP2, while Mark Webber’s strong performance brought encouragement for the home crowd. Wind complicated the setup work, and the gap from Lewis Hamilton to the chasing pack was substantial. Red Bull Racing placed both cars near the front as teams assessed race pace as well as their quickest laps.

BMW Sauber finished final practice first and second, with Robert Kubica ahead of Nick Heidfeld. Several teams used softer tyres for qualifying preparation, while Ferrari and McLaren were much further down the order. The contrasting programmes made the result difficult to interpret, although BMW Sauber’s speed was an encouraging sign before the afternoon’s decisive session.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 14 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:26.461	25
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.487s	21
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.497s	25
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.653s	19
5	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.802s	18
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.899s	22
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.118s	12
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.452s	16
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.496s	22
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.553s	23
11	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.663s	25
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.769s	24
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.840s	5
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+2.902s	32
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+3.072s	17
16	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+3.100s	7
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.694s	13
18	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+3.896s	21
19	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+4.587s	7
20	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+5.310s	7
21	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+8.592s	3
22	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	No time	3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 14 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:26.559	33
2	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.914s	27
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.081s	29
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.124s	29
5	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.478s	26
6	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.649s	28
7	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.733s	22
8	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.793s	31
9	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.910s	32
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.023s	28
11	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.073s	30
12	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.172s	33
13	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+2.220s	37
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.290s	28
15	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+2.301s	35
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.518s	33
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.602s	32
18	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.634s	40
19	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.959s	14
20	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+3.046s	11
21	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+4.104s	16
22	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+4.968s	8

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 15 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:25.613	18
2	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.337s	16
3	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.469s	14
4	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.558s	17
5	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.772s	14
6	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.794s	17
7	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.889s	18
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.050s	18
9	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.069s	18
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.269s	11
11	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.407s	19
12	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.471s	14
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+1.549s	15
14	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.550s	17
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.671s	13
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.720s	18
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.876s	18
18	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.965s	17
19	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.988s	15
20	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+2.379s	15
21	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+2.750s	13
22	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+3.299s	15

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole ahead of Robert Kubica and new teammate Heikki Kovalainen. Felipe Massa placed fourth, but Kimi Räikkönen’s fuel-system problem left the reigning champion unable to take part in Q2 and facing a recovery drive.

Mark Webber spun after a brake failure, while Sebastian Vettel’s oil-pump problem prevented him setting a Q3 time. Timo Glock received separate gearbox and impeding penalties, and Adrian Sutil damaged his chassis after spinning in Q1. Mechanical reliability was already becoming a major part of the weekend’s story.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 15 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:26.572	1:25.187	1:26.714	14
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:26.103	1:25.315	1:26.869	15
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:25.664	1:25.452	1:27.079	13
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:25.994	1:25.691	1:27.178	12
5	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:25.960	1:25.518	1:27.236	16
6	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:26.427	1:26.101	1:28.527	17
7	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:26.295	1:26.059	1:28.687	21
8	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:26.381	1:26.063	1:29.041	18
9	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:26.919	1:26.164	1:29.593	17
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:26.702	1:25.842	No time	18
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:26.369	1:26.173	—	13
12	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:26.907	1:26.188	—	10
13	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:26.712	1:26.259	—	13
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:26.891	1:26.413	—	13
15	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:26.914	No time	—	8
16	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:26.140	No time	—	3
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:27.207	—	—	9
18	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:27.446	—	—	10
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:27.859	—	—	9
20	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:28.208	—	—	9
21	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:28.330	—	—	6
22	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	1:29.059	—	—	9

Timo Glock was demoted to 19th place due to two five-place grid penalties, for a gearbox change and for impeding Webber during qualifying.

Sebastian Vettel suffered an oil pump problem and did not take part in Q3.

Mark Webber suffered a right front brake failure and was unable to continue with the session after spinning into the gravel.

Kimi Räikkönen suffered a fuel pressure problem in Q1 and was barred from the rest of session for stopping on-track.

What happened in the 2008 Australian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton held the lead as multiple opening-lap incidents brought out the safety car. Felipe Massa spun and needed a new front wing, while several midfield cars retired. Kimi Räikkönen climbed rapidly from the back half of the grid, but his recovery later included two costly excursions at Turn 3.

Contact between Felipe Massa and David Coulthard triggered another safety car, and Timo Glock’s violent trip over the grass and damaged suspension caused a third intervention. Ferrari lost both cars to engine failures. Rubens Barrichello’s difficult pit stop included an attached fuel hose and a closed-pit-lane penalty, before he was subsequently excluded for passing the red pit-exit light.

Lewis Hamilton stayed clear of the trouble to win from Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg. Fernando Alonso regained fourth when Heikki Kovalainen accidentally activated his speed limiter after passing him. Sebastien Bourdais’s late retirement denied him fourth on debut, but he and Kimi Räikkönen still earned points through classification as the depleted field finally reached the finish.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Nick Heidfeld on 8. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 14, with Williams on 9.

2008 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Australian Grand Prix was held on 16 March 2008, with a scheduled start of 15:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	58	1:34:50.616	10
2	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	58	+5.478	8
3	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	58	+8.163	6
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	58	+17.181	5
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	58	+18.014	4
6	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	57	+1 lap	3
7	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	55	Engine	2
8	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	53	Engine	1
Ret	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	47	Collision	0
Ret	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	43	Accident	0
Ret	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	32	Transmission	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	30	Collision damage	0
Ret	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	29	Engine	0
Ret	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	25	Collision	0
Ret	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	19	Electrical	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	8	Hydraulics	0
Ret	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	0	Collision	0
Ret	16	Jenson Button	Honda	0	Collision	0
Ret	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	0	Collision	0
Ret	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0
Ret	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	0	Collision	0
DSQ	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	58	Ignored red light	0

Adrian Sutil started the race from the pitlane after he was forced to change chassis after severe damage during qualifying.

Sébastien Bourdais was classified as 7th and Kimi Räikkönen was classified as 8th, because they completed 90% of the race winner’s distance.

Rubens Barrichello was disqualified from 6th for ignoring a red light at the pit exit.

2008 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	43	1:27.418	218.385
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	39	1:27.452	218.300
3	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	41	1:27.739	217.586
4	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	20	1:27.903	217.180
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	41	1:28.090	216.719
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	23	1:28.175	216.510
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	58	1:28.603	215.464
8	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	44	1:28.736	215.141
9	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	15	1:28.753	215.100
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	18	1:29.310	213.758
11	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	21	1:29.502	213.300
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	22	1:29.534	213.224
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	23	1:29.558	213.166
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	50	1:29.639	212.974
15	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	24	1:30.892	210.038
16	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	20	1:31.384	208.907
17	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	8	1:32.021	207.461

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	10
2	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	8
3	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	6
4	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	5
5	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	4
6	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	3
7	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
8	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	1
–	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	0
–	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	0
–	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
–	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
–	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	0
–	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	0
–	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
–	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	0
–	Jenson Button	British	Honda	0
–	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0
–	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	0
–	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	14
2	Williams	9
3	BMW Sauber	8
4	Renault	5
5	Toro Rosso	2
6	Ferrari	1
–	Toyota	0
–	Super Aguri	0
–	Red Bull Racing	0
–	Force India	0
–	Honda	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November