01 – Australia: Albert Park

Race
Qualifying
Sat Practice
Fri Practice 1
Fri Practice 2
History

Race Report And Classification

Photos courtesy of Formula One Administration

Only 6 cars saw the chequered flag in the sweltering heat of Melbourne. Nick Heidfeld collected second place and Williams’ Nico Rosberg got an impressive third place. (Pic, top left) The race was action packed right from the start, as Ferrari’s Felipe Massa lost control at the first corner and gently nudged the barrier. (Pic, bottom left).

Something that was of concern was the ease at which the cars fell apart. David Coulthard was tagged by Felipe Massa at the tricky turn 3 and his bodywork fell to pieces as the Red Bull skidded along the track. (Pic, top right) David ended up in the air at Melbourne last year, when he collided with Alex Wurz. Coulthard took the blame for that, and expects Massa to do the same this year, offering to “kick three colours of sh*t out of the little bastard” if he didn’t. With around ten laps to go, Timo Glock went wide and hit a bump in the ground, flinging the Toyota into the air, and once again the bodywork was strewn across the track. (Pic, bottom right)

Rubens Barrichello finished 6th, but was disqualified after the race finished for leaving the pit lane under a red light. This promoted Nakajima to 6th, and non-finishers Sebastian Bourdais and Kimi Raikkonen up to 7th and 8th respectively. It means that Barrichello’s first points since 2006 slip out the window, and Bourdais collects two points on his F1 debut.

A disappointing opening race for Force India resulted in both their drivers retiring from the race within a few laps. Fisichella was flipped onto two wheels in a first corner incident with Anthony Davidson.

The safety car was released three times throughout the race, but amid all the chaos and retirements, Lewis Hamilton kept his head to take an early lead in the Driver’s Championship. Deserved? Leave a comment on this page and let Toro Bloggo know what you think.

1. L HAMILTON 1h 34m 50.616s
2. N Heidfeld +5.4
3. N Rosberg +8.1
4. F Alonso +17.1
5. H Kovalainen +18.0
6. K Nakajima +1 Lap
7. S Bourdais +3 Laps
8. K Raikkonen + 5 Laps

Not Classified
R Kubica
T Glock
T Sato
N Piquet
F Massa
D Coulthard
J Trulli
A Sutil
M Webber
J Button
A Davidson
S Vettel
G Fisichella
R Barrichello (DSQ)

Qualifying

Kimi Raikkonen stops on track following a fuel pressure fault (top), and Mark Webber loses control of his Red Bull after a brake fault, resulting in the red flag (bottom).
Photo Courtesy of Formula One Administration

1. L Hamilton – 1:26.714
2. R Kubica – 1:26.869
3. H Kovalainen – 1:27.079
4. F Massa – 1:27.178
5. N Heidfeld – 1:27.236
6. J Trulli – 1:28.527
7. N Rosberg – 1:28.687
8. D Coulthard – 1:29.041
9. T Glock – 1:29.593
10. S Vettel – No Time
———
11. R Barrichello – 1:26.173
12. F Alonso – 1:26.188
13. J Button – 1:26.259
14. K Nakajima – 1:26.413
15. M Webber – No Time
16. K Raikkonen – No Time
———
17. G Fisichella – 1:27.207
18. S Bourdais – 1:27.446
19. A Sutil – 1:27.859
20. T Sato – 1:28.208
21. N Piquet – 1:28.330
22. A Davidson – 1:29.059

Saturday Practice

1. R Kubica – 1:25.613
2. N Heidfeld – 1:25.950
3. F Alonso – 1:26.082
4. N Rosberg – 1:26.171
5. D Coulthard – 1:26.385
6. M Webber – 1:26.407
7. J Button – 1:26.502
8. S Vettel – 1:26.663
9. G Fisichella – 1:26.682
10. J Trulli – 1:26.882
11. F Massa – 1:27.020
12. L Hamilton – 1:27.084
13. T Glock – 1:27.162
14. K Raikkonen – 1:27.163
15. N Piquet – 1:27.284
16. R Barrichello – 1:27.333
17. A Sutil – 1:27.489
18. S Bourdais – 1:27.578
19. K Nakajima – 1:27.601
20. H Kovalainen – 1:27.992
21. T Sato – 1:28.363
22. A Davidson – 1:28.912

Friday Practice 1

1. K Raikkonen – 1:26.461
2. L Hamilton – 1:26.948
3. F Massa – 1:26.958
4. H Kovalainen – 1:27.114
5. M Webber – 1:28.263
6. F Alonso – 1:28.360
7. R Kubica – 1:28.576
8. T Glock – 1:28.913
9. S Vettel – 1:28.957
10. J Trulli – 1:29.014
11. J Button – 1:29.124
12. G Fisichella – 1:29.230
13. D Coulthard – 1:29.301
14. S Bourdais – 1:29.363
15. R Barrichello – 1:29.533
16. N Heidfeld – 1:29.561
17. A Sutil – 1:30.155
18. N Piquet – 1:30.357
19. T Sato – 1:31.048
20. A Davidson – 1:31.771
21. K Nakajima – 1:35.053
22. N Rosberg – No time

Friday Practice 2

Jarno Trulli beaches his Toyota at Turn 3
Photo Courtesy of Formula One Administration

1. L Hamilton – 1:26.559
2. M Webber – 1:27.473
3. F Massa – 1:27.640
4. H Kovalainen – 1:27.683
5. D Coulthard – 1:28.037
6. K Raikkonen – 1:28.208
7. J Trulli – 1:28.292
8. N Rosberg – 1:28.352
9. G Fisichella – 1:28.469
10. T Glock – 1:28.582
11. J Button – 1:28.632
12. N Heidfeld – 1:28.731
13. F Alonso – 1:28.779
14. R Barrichello – 1:28.849
15. R Kubica – 1:28.860
16. K Nakajima – 1:29.077
17. A Sutil – 1:29.161
18. S Vettel – 1:29.193
19. N Piquet – 1:29.518
20. S Bourdais – 1:29.605
21. T Sato – 1:30.663
22. A Davidson – 1:31.527

History

The very first race Grand Prix of Australia was won by Arthur Waite in 1928 around the Phillip Island track. The Formula One Championship started in 1950, but it was only in 1985 when Australia made its first Formula One appearance. It was held at the Adelaide street circuit, and holds the record for the shortest race in F1 history, when the 1991 race was stopped after just 14 laps due to torrential rain.

In 1996, the Australian GP was switched to Albert Park in Melbourne, where it has remained since. On the first lap of the first Melbourne race, ex-racer and now ITV commentator Martin Brundle was launched into the air in a high-speed crash. He luckily walked away unscathed. In 2001, however, tragedy struck when a trackside marshal was killed after Jacques Villenueve and Ralf Schumacher collided at one of the fastest areas of the circuit.

Last year’s race was won by Kimi Raikkonen in his first race for Ferrari, and also saw Lewis Hamilton score a podium in his first race. It was also the scene of a dangerous crash between David Coulthard and Alex Wurz, whereby Coulthard’s car avoided contact with Wurz’s head by a matter of inches. Once again, the new season opens with a trip to Australia; let’s hope it’s as action packed as ever!