2016 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Nico Rosberg opened the season with victory in Melbourne as Mercedes turned a difficult start into a one-two. Ferrari led early, but the red flag following Fernando Alonso‘s enormous accident changed the strategic picture, while Haas celebrated points on debut.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Pole time	1:23.837
Fastest lap	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:28.997 on lap 49
First	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
18 March 2016	Practice 1	12:30 – 14:00
18 March 2016	Practice 2	16:30 – 18:00
19 March 2016	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
19 March 2016	Qualifying	17:00
20 March 2016	Race	16:00

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

Championship background

The 2016 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

Haas joined Formula 1 with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez, expanding the field to 22 cars. Renault returned as a works team with Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, while Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto made their debuts for Manor.

Free Practice

A wet start to FP1 gave way to slick-tyre running, with Lewis Hamilton quickest as the circuit improved. Damp patches still caught out several drivers, including Max Verstappen, who spun and flat-spotted his tyres. Rain returned near the finish, leaving Daniel Ricciardo stranded in the gravel at Turn 12.

Further showers kept FP2 on intermediate tyres and sharply limited useful running. Lewis Hamilton stayed fastest, but Nico Rosberg crashed at Turn 7 and damaged Mercedes’ new front wing. Several teams chose not to set times, while Manor used the opportunity to give its rookie drivers valuable mileage in difficult conditions.

A dry FP3 finally allowed representative running, with Lewis Hamilton completing a practice clean sweep and Toro Rosso showing encouraging pace. The session began badly for Rio Haryanto and Romain Grosjean, who collided in the pit lane. Both needed new front wings, Haas also replaced Romain Grosjean’s floor, and Rio Haryanto received a grid penalty.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2016 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 18 March 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:29.725	14
2	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+0.421s	14
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.150s	13
4	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.600s	8
5	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.995s	14
6	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+2.089s	11
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.335s	11
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+3.404s	16
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.645s	6
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+4.335s	13
11	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+4.825s	6
12	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+4.954s	6
13	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+5.071s	7
14	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+5.752s	12
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+8.231s	6
16	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+10.676s	6
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+11.029s	10
18	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+12.055s	8
19	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+13.647s	7
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+13.718s	6
21	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	No time	8
22	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	No time	3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2016 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 18 March 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:38.841	7
2	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+0.467s	8
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.645s	7
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.694s	9
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+0.853s	16
6	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.054s	16
7	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.167s	13
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.920s	7
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.415s	8
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+3.570s	10
11	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+4.050s	10
12	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+4.560s	25
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+4.890s	8
14	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+5.463s	22
15	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+8.515s	4
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	No time	2
17	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	No time	5
18	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	No time	2
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2016 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 19 March 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:25.624	24
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.176s	25
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.228s	25
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+0.633s	28
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.811s	23
6	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+1.077s	26
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.106s	28
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.144s	22
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.527s	28
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.618s	22
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.639s	20
12	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	+1.717s	20
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	+1.806s	22
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.035s	26
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	+2.247s	24
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.364s	22
17	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+2.493s	24
18	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	+2.660s	21
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.668s	11
20	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+2.669s	26
21	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	+3.422s	18
22	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	+3.648s	23

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton headed qualifying for Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg second and Sebastian Vettel third.

The new elimination format removed drivers at 90-second intervals after an initial running period, leaving eight cars for Q3. Lewis Hamilton took pole, but the format drew widespread criticism as the final minutes passed without a meaningful contest.

Qualifying Classification

2016 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 19 March 2016

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:25.351	1:24.605	1:23.837	14
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:26.934	1:24.796	1:24.197	13
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26.945	1:25.257	1:24.675	14
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:26.579	1:25.615	1:25.033	13
5	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:26.934	1:25.615	1:25.434	12
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:25.918	1:25.644	1:25.458	12
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:27.057	1:25.384	1:25.582	14
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:26.945	1:25.599	1:25.589	15
9	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:26.607	1:25.753	—	12
10	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:26.550	1:25.865	—	14
11	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:27.135	1:25.961	—	9
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:26.537	1:26.125	—	9
13	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:26.740	1:26.304	—	9
14	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:27.241	1:27.601	—	12
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	1:27.297	1:27.742	—	11
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:27.435	—	—	9
17	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:27.958	—	—	7
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	1:28.006	—	—	5
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:28.322	—	—	6
20	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	1:29.606	—	—	6
21	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	1:29.627	—	—	3
22	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	1:29.642	—	—	3

Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for unscheduled gearbox change.

Rio Haryanto received a three-place grid penalty after a pit lane collision with Romain Grosjean during the third practice session.

What happened in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix?

Sebastian Vettel surged between the Mercedes cars at the start, with Kimi Räikkönen following him through. Lewis Hamilton dropped back and had to work his way into contention as Nico Rosberg chased the Ferraris.

Fernando Alonso struck Esteban Gutiérrez and suffered a violent rolling accident. Both drivers escaped the wreckage, but the debris required a red flag. Mercedes fitted medium tyres during the stoppage, aiming to reach the finish without another change.

Ferrari retained the softer compound and Sebastian Vettel later had to stop again, handing the advantage to Nico Rosberg. Kimi Räikkönen retired with a technical problem, while Lewis Hamilton moved into second and resisted Vettel’s late pursuit.

Romain Grosjean used the interruption to complete his tyre change without a normal racing stop and finished sixth for Haas. Daniel Ricciardo took fourth at home, while Rosberg began the campaign with victory ahead of Hamilton and Vettel.

Further down the points places, Nico Hülkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen completed the scoring positions. Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2016 rules.

After the race, Nico Rosberg headed the drivers’ standings with 25 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 18. Mercedes led the constructors’ table on 43, with Ferrari on 15.

2016 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2016 Australian Grand Prix was held on 20 March 2016, with a scheduled start of 16:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	57	1:48:15.565	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	+8.060	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	57	+9.643	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	57	+24.330	12
5	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	57	+58.979	10
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	57	+1:12.081	8
7	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	57	+1:14.199	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	57	+1:15.153	4
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	57	+1:15.680	2
10	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	57	+1:16.833	1
11	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	57	+1:23.399	0
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	57	+1:25.606	0
13	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	57	+1:31.699	0
14	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	56	+1 Lap	0
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	56	+1 Lap	0
16	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	56	+1 Lap	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	38	Transmission	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	21	Turbo	0
Ret	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	17	Driveshaft	0
Ret	21	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	16	Collision	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	16	Collision	0
DNS	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Racing	0	Electrical	0

Daniil Kvyat ‘s car failed during the formation lap. His place on the starting grid was left vacant.

2016 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	49	17:43:43	1:28.997	214.510
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	23	17:03:29	1:29.951	212.235
3	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	21	17:00:31	1:30.557	210.815
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	48	17:41:53	1:30.646	210.608
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	21	17:00:32	1:30.701	210.480
6	33	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	44	17:36:34	1:31.516	208.606
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	23	17:03:40	1:31.671	208.253
8	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	33	17:19:55	1:31.684	208.223
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	39	17:28:28	1:32.288	206.861
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	45	17:38:17	1:32.452	206.494
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	14	16:29:44	1:32.553	206.268
12	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Manor Racing	34	17:21:47	1:32.673	206.001
13	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	48	17:43:05	1:32.711	205.917
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	51	17:47:21	1:32.725	205.886
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	39	17:28:53	1:32.780	205.764
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	49	17:44:15	1:32.833	205.646
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	48	17:42:40	1:32.862	205.582
18	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	14	16:29:55	1:32.955	205.376
19	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Haas	4	16:13:55	1:32.998	205.281
20	88	Rio Haryanto	Manor Racing	15	16:31:45	1:33.847	203.424
21	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	15	16:31:32	1:33.892	203.327

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

2016 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

2016 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	25
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	18
3	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	15
4	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	12
5	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	10
6	Romain Grosjean	French	Haas	8
7	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Force India	6
8	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Williams	4
9	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	2
10	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Toro Rosso	1
11	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	0
12	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	Renault	0
13	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	0
14	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	0
15	Felipe Nasr	Brazilian	Sauber	0
16	Pascal Wehrlein	German	Manor Racing	0
–	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
–	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	0
–	Rio Haryanto	Indonesian	Manor Racing	0
–	Esteban Gutiérrez	Mexican	Haas	0
–	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	0
–	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Red Bull Racing	0

2016 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	43
2	Ferrari	15
3	Williams	14
4	Red Bull Racing	12
5	Haas	8
6	Force India	6
7	Toro Rosso	3
8	Renault	0
9	McLaren	0
10	Sauber	0
11	Manor Racing	0

2016 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2016 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	20 March
2	2016 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	3 April
3	2016 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2016 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	1 May
5	2016 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	15 May
6	2016 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2016 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2016 European Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	19 June
9	2016 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	3 July
10	2016 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
11	2016 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	24 July
12	2016 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	31 July
13	2016 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
14	2016 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
15	2016 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	18 September
16	2016 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	2 October
17	2016 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
18	2016 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	23 October
19	2016 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	30 October
20	2016 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	13 November
21	2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	27 November