2017 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari the start it had been dreaming of, beating Lewis Hamilton to victory as Formula 1’s wider, faster cars made their competitive debut in Melbourne. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium on his first outing for Mercedes.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Pole time	1:22.188
Fastest lap	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:26.538 on lap 56
First	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 March 2017	Practice 1	12:00 – 13:30
24 March 2017	Practice 2	16:00 – 17:30
25 March 2017	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
25 March 2017	Qualifying	17:00
26 March 2017	Race	16:00

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

Championship background

The 2017 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

Antonio Giovinazzi replaced Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber after Wehrlein withdrew because of fitness concerns following his winter Race of Champions accident. Lance Stroll made his race debut for Williams and Stoffel Vandoorne began his first full season at McLaren.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led a dry FP1 as the wider, faster 2017 cars began their first race weekend. Mercedes used ultrasoft tyres while Red Bull also showed useful pace on supersofts. Sebastian Vettel lost substantial time to repairs after only a few laps, returning late to complete a reduced Ferrari programme.

Lewis Hamilton remained quickest in FP2, but several incidents interrupted preparations. Jolyon Palmer crashed at the final corner, Felipe Massa stopped with a gear-selection problem, and Marcus Ericsson became stranded in the gravel late on. Teams fitted ultrasofts for quick laps before switching to longer runs to assess the new cars’ tyre behaviour.

Sebastian Vettel moved ahead in FP3 while Kimi Räikkönen recovered from a puncture and temporary shutdown. Lance Stroll then hit the wall and stopped near Turn 11, bringing out red flags with little time remaining. The accident cost Williams valuable preparation and disrupted the final qualifying simulations of the season’s opening weekend.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2017 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 24 March 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24.220	22
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.583s	25
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.666s	19
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.026s	19
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.152s	16
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.244s	10
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.922s	28
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.948s	20
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.963s	15
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.056s	29
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.230s	24
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.294s	25
13	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.514s	29
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.896s	18
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.128s	30
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+3.436s	23
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+3.447s	20
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	+4.319s	22
19	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+4.365s	6
20	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+4.475s	14

Free Practice 2 Classification

2017 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 24 March 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:23.620	34
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.547s	35
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.556s	34
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.905s	30
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.030s	27
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.393s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+1.464s	34
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.816s	29
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.858s	36
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.873s	39
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.971s	35
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.380s	19
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+2.525s	37
14	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.711s	6
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.878s	29
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.905s	27
17	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.988s	33
18	94	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	+3.299s	30
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+3.659s	8
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+3.929s	4

Free Practice 3 Classification

2017 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 25 March 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:23.380	12
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.479s	12
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.490s	12
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.608s	10
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.683s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.712s	15
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.201s	11
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.568s	11
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.669s	11
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.758s	11
11	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	+2.857s	15
12	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+2.889s	7
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+3.077s	12
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.176s	7
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+3.319s	9
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+3.723s	16
17	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+3.947s	12
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+4.022s	10
19	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	+4.940s	12
20	36	Antonio Giovinazzi	Sauber	+5.203s	18

Qualifying

Qualifying used three knockout sessions lasting eighteen, fifteen and twelve minutes. Drivers progressed through Q1 and Q2 before the final ten competed for pole in Q3.

Lewis Hamilton beat the two Ferraris and his new team-mate to pole, while Daniel Ricciardo crashed in Q3. Gearbox penalties subsequently pushed both Ricciardo and rookie Lance Stroll down the grid.

Qualifying Classification

2017 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 March 2017

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24.191	1:23.251	1:22.188	14
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:25.210	1:23.401	1:22.456	17
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:24.514	1:23.215	1:22.481	13
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:24.352	1:23.376	1:23.033	19
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:24.482	1:24.092	1:23.485	18
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:25.419	1:24.718	1:24.074	17
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:25.099	1:24.597	1:24.443	16
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:25.542	1:24.997	1:24.487	16
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:25.970	1:24.864	1:24.512	16
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:25.383	1:23.989	No time	10
11	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:25.064	1:25.081	—	13
12	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	1:24.975	1:25.091	—	12
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:25.872	1:25.425	—	15
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:26.009	1:25.568	—	16
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:26.236	1:26.465	—	15
16	36	Antonio Giovinazzi	Sauber	1:26.419	—	—	8
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:26.847	—	—	7
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:26.858	—	—	6
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:27.143	—	—	7
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:28.244	—	—	7

Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll received five-place grid penalties for unscheduled gearbox changes.

What happened in the 2017 Australian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton controlled the opening stint, but Sebastian Vettel stayed close enough to keep Ferrari‘s strategy alive. With Mercedes concerned about tyre life, Hamilton stopped first and emerged behind Max Verstappen.

That traffic proved decisive. Sebastian Vettel extended his opening stint, used the clear track and emerged from his own stop ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari now had track position, and Mercedes could not find a way to reverse the outcome.

Daniel Ricciardo endured a miserable home race. A problem on the way to the grid forced Red Bull to recover his car to the garage; he eventually joined late, only to retire again. Vettel, meanwhile, kept his advantage under control and ended Ferrari‘s winless run stretching back to Singapore 2015.

Lewis Hamilton finished second, with Valtteri Bottas third on his Mercedes debut. Kimi Räikkönen and Max Verstappen followed, while Felipe Massa led the midfield in sixth. Antonio Giovinazzi brought the Sauber home on his unexpected race debut, covering for Pascal Wehrlein.

Further down the points places, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat and Esteban Ocon completed the scoring positions. Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2017 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 25 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton on 18. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 37, with Mercedes on 33.

2017 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2017 Australian Grand Prix was held on 26 March 2017, with a scheduled start of 16:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	57	1:24:11.672	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	+9.975	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	+11.250	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	+22.393	12
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	57	+28.827	10
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	57	+1:23.386	8
7	11	Sergio Pérez	Force India	56	+1 Lap	6
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	4
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	56	+1 Lap	2
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	56	+1 Lap	1
11	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	56	+1 Lap	0
12	36	Antonio Giovinazzi	Sauber	55	+2 Laps	0
13	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	55	+2 Laps	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	50	Broken floor	0
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	46	Suspension	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	40	Brakes	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	25	Fuel cell	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	21	Hydraulics	0
Ret	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	15	Brakes	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	13	Water leak	0

Daniel Ricciardo started the race from pit lane after his car stopped on the way to the grid and could not be restarted in time for the formation lap.

2017 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	17:29:33	1:26.538	220.605
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	56	17:29:23	1:26.593	220.465
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	17:24:49	1:26.638	220.351
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	51	17:23:52	1:26.711	220.165
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	43	17:10:39	1:26.964	219.525
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	17:11:49	1:27.033	219.351
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	46	17:18:31	1:27.568	218.011
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	53	17:26:31	1:27.677	217.740
9	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	49	17:20:09	1:28.045	216.830
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	56	17:30:55	1:28.336	216.115
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	55	17:30:18	1:28.475	215.776
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	55	17:30:19	1:28.486	215.749
13	36	Antonio Giovinazzi	Sauber	51	17:25:08	1:29.052	214.378
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	38	17:05:07	1:29.389	213.569
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	53	17:28:27	1:29.440	213.448
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	21	16:41:40	1:29.447	213.431
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	48	17:19:51	1:30.077	211.938
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	12	16:24:44	1:30.183	211.689
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	18	16:34:46	1:32.052	207.391
20	30	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	6	16:15:59	1:32.195	207.069

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.

2017 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.

2017 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Ferrari	25
2	Lewis Hamilton	British	Mercedes	18
3	Valtteri Bottas	Finnish	Mercedes	15
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	12
5	Max Verstappen	Dutch	Red Bull Racing	10
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Williams	8
7	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Force India	6
8	Carlos Sainz	Spanish	Toro Rosso	4
9	Daniil Kvyat	Russian	Toro Rosso	2
10	Esteban Ocon	French	Force India	1
11	Nico Hülkenberg	German	Renault	0
12	Antonio Giovinazzi	Italian	Sauber	0
13	Stoffel Vandoorne	Belgian	McLaren	0
–	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	0
–	Kevin Magnussen	Danish	Haas	0
–	Lance Stroll	Canadian	Williams	0
–	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	Red Bull Racing	0
–	Marcus Ericsson	Swedish	Sauber	0
–	Jolyon Palmer	British	Renault	0
–	Romain Grosjean	French	Haas	0

2017 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	37
2	Mercedes	33
3	Red Bull Racing	10
4	Williams	8
5	Force India	7
6	Toro Rosso	6
7	Renault	0
8	Sauber	0
9	McLaren	0
–	Haas	0

2017 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2017 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	26 March
2	2017 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	9 April
3	2017 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	16 April
4	2017 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 April
5	2017 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	14 May
6	2017 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	28 May
7	2017 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	11 June
8	2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	25 June
9	2017 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	9 July
10	2017 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
11	2017 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	30 July
12	2017 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	27 August
13	2017 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	3 September
14	2017 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	17 September
15	2017 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	1 October
16	2017 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	8 October
17	2017 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	22 October
18	2017 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	29 October
19	2017 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	12 November
20	2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	26 November