2018 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari a winning start to the 2018 F1 World Championship, taking advantage of a well-timed virtual safety car to beat Lewis Hamilton at the Australian Grand Prix. A race Hamilton had appeared to control at the Albert Park Circuit turned on pit-stop timing, while Haas suffered a painful double retirement.

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:21.164
Fastest lap
Driver	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:25.945 on lap 54
Podium
First	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 March 2018	Practice 1	12:00 – 13:30
23 March 2018	Practice 2	16:00 – 17:30
24 March 2018	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
24 March 2018	Qualifying	17:00 – 18:00
25 March 2018	Race	16:10

All times are local (UTC+11:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel began the year as four-time world champions, each chasing a fifth title. The halo made its competitive debut, McLaren began its Renault partnership and Toro Rosso switched to Honda. There was no bonus point for fastest lap under the 2018 rules.

Race entries

Charles Leclerc made his Grand Prix debut with Sauber alongside Marcus Ericsson, while Sergey Sirotkin joined Lance Stroll at Williams. Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley began their first full seasons with Toro Rosso. The remaining teams retained their established pairings.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 in 1:24.026 ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen, giving Mercedes an encouraging start to the new season.

Hamilton remained fastest in FP2 with a 1:23.931, narrowly ahead of Verstappen. A loose timing cable caused a red flag, and Daniel Ricciardo received a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently during the interruption.

A wet FP3 ended with Sebastian Vettel fastest in 1:26.067 as conditions improved enough for slick tyres. Kimi Räikkönen and Marcus Ericsson followed, although the changing surface made the order less representative.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 Australian Grand Prix FP1, 23 March 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24.026	27
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.551s	29
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.745s	26
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.849s	23
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.969s	22
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.037s	25
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.704s	24
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.870s	16
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.896s	23
10	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.456s	15
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.468s	25
12	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.510s	25
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.557s	25
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+2.579s	30
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.610s	30
16	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.741s	26
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+3.009s	13
18	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+3.719s	16
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.938s	28
20	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+4.827s	28

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 Australian Grand Prix FP2, 23 March 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:23.931	35
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.127s	34
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.228s	34
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.283s	39
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.520s	38
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+0.717s	34
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.790s	28
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.269s	28
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.315s	30
10	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.354s	34
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.459s	35
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.482s	30
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.532s	35
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.612s	32
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.957s	33
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.994s	41
17	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.014s	39
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.043s	37
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.883s	31
20	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.884s	35

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 24 March 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26.067	15
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.432s	13
3	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.823s	14
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+5.613s	8
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+7.105s	11
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+7.976s	14
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+8.107s	14
8	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+8.158s	7
9	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+8.166s	15
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+8.231s	13
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+8.923s	16
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+9.371s	16
13	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+9.522s	16
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+9.761s	8
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+10.104s	6
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+10.381s	12
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+10.740s	7
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+12.415s	8
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	No time	1
20	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	No time	1

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton produced a superb 1:21.164 to take pole, 0.664 seconds clear of Kimi Räikkönen. Sebastian Vettel qualified third and Max Verstappen fourth, with Ferrari unable to match Hamilton’s final effort.

Valtteri Bottas crashed heavily at the start of Q3 and later received a gearbox penalty. Daniel Ricciardo‘s existing penalty also changed the grid, while Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean put Haas in a strong position for the opening race.

Qualifying Classification

2018 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 24 March 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:22.824	1:22.051	1:21.164	20
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:23.096	1:22.507	1:21.828	17
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:23.348	1:21.944	1:21.838	20
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:23.483	1:22.416	1:21.879	18
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:23.494	1:22.897	1:22.152	17
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:23.909	1:23.300	1:23.187	17
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:23.671	1:23.468	1:23.339	17
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:23.782	1:23.544	1:23.532	16
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:23.529	1:23.061	1:23.577	17
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:23.686	1:22.089	No time	16
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:23.597	1:23.692	—	14
12	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:24.073	1:23.853	—	14
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:24.344	1:24.005	—	14
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:24.464	1:24.230	—	13
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:24.503	1:24.786	—	16
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1:24.532	—	—	8
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:24.556	—	—	9
18	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:24.636	—	—	9
19	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:24.922	—	—	8
20	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:25.295	—	—	7

Daniel Ricciardo received a three-place grid penalty for failing to adequately slow down for a red flag during free practice.

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

What happened in the 2018 Australian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton retained the lead ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel. Kevin Magnussen passed Max Verstappen, who later spun while trying to recover ground. Ferrari brought Räikkönen in first, and Mercedes responded by stopping Hamilton to cover the threat.

Haas then lost both cars to incorrectly fitted wheels after their stops. Magnussen retired first, followed by Romain Grosjean, whose stranded car triggered a virtual safety car. Vettel had stayed out longer and could now make his stop while the field ran at reduced speed.

Vettel emerged ahead of Hamilton, overturning the order at the front. Mercedes had miscalculated the gap needed to protect the lead under those conditions. A full safety car followed, but Vettel kept first place when racing resumed.

Hamilton stayed close without finding a way through. Räikkönen resisted Daniel Ricciardo for third, with the Australian setting fastest lap but unable to reach the podium at home.

Fernando Alonso also benefited from the interruption and held off Verstappen for fifth on McLaren‘s first outing with Renault power. Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh, ahead of a recovering Bottas, Stoffel Vandoorne and Carlos Sainz.

Vettel won by 5.036 seconds to secure his 100th podium and an early seven-point championship lead. Ferrari left Melbourne with two cars on the podium, while Hamilton and Mercedes were left to examine how a commanding position had slipped away.

2018 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 2018 Australian Grand Prix was held on 25 March 2018, with a scheduled start of 16:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	58	1:29:33.283	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	58	+5.036s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	58	+6.309s	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	58	+7.069s	12
5	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	58	+27.886s	10
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	58	+28.945s	8
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	58	+32.671s	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	58	+34.339s	4
9	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	58	+34.921s	2
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	58	+45.722s	1
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	58	+46.817s	0
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	58	+60.278s	0
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	58	+75.759s	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	58	+78.288s	0
15	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	57	+1 lap	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	24	Loose wheel	0
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	22	Loose wheel	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	13	Engine	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	5	Hydraulics	0
Ret	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	4	Brakes	0

2018 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	54	17:37:13	1:25.945	222.128
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	17:41:31	1:26.373	221.027
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	50	17:31:16	1:26.444	220.845
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	17:35:35	1:26.469	220.782
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	54	17:37:32	1:26.880	219.737
6	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	57	17:41:59	1:26.958	219.540
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	57	17:41:52	1:26.978	219.489
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	54	17:37:34	1:27.019	219.386
9	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	57	17:41:55	1:27.081	219.230
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	57	17:42:18	1:27.600	217.931
11	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	51	17:33:20	1:27.633	217.849
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	51	17:33:19	1:27.944	217.079
13	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	57	17:43:14	1:28.176	216.507
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	55	17:39:41	1:28.511	215.688
15	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	56	17:41:09	1:28.759	215.085
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	23	16:48:02	1:28.805	214.974
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	21	16:45:03	1:29.534	213.224
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	13	16:33:30	1:30.649	210.601
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	4	16:19:41	1:32.210	207.036
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	3	16:18:12	1:32.573	206.224

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 Australian Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	25
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	18
3	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	15
4	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	12
5	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	10
6	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	8
7	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	6
8	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	4
9	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	2
10	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	1
11	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	0
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	0
13	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	0
14	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	0
15	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	0
16	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
17	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	0
18	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	0
19	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	0
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	0

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	40
2	Mercedes	22
3	Red Bull Racing	20
4	McLaren	12
5	Renault	7
6	Force India	0
7	Sauber	0
8	Williams	0
9	Toro Rosso	0
10	Haas	0

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November