Australian Grand-Prix facts and stats 11.03.2019: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit • Total number of race laps: 58 • Complete race distance: 307.574 kilometers (191.118 miles) • Pit lane speed limit: 60 kph (37 mph

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit




•    Total number of race laps: 58

•    Complete race distance: 307.574 kilometers (191.118 miles)

•    Pit lane speed limit: 60 kph (37 mph)



•    This 5.303-kilometer (3.295-mile), 16-turn Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit has hosted Formula One since 1996, with last year’s Australian Grand Prix serving as the venue’s 22nd grand prix. However, this is the 34th Australian Grand Prix, with the inaugural Formula One race taking place in 1985 on the Adelaide Street Circuit, which was won by Keke Rosberg, father of 2016 Formula One champion Nico Rosberg.



•    Michael Schumacher holds the race lap record at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (1:24.125), set in 2004 with Scuderia Ferrari.



•    Lewis Hamilton holds the qualifying lap record at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (1:22.188), set last year with Mercedes in Q3.




•    The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit comprises public roads encircling Albert Park Lake, a man-made body of water just south of Melbourne’s central business district. The roads were rebuilt prior to Formula One’s debut at the track in 1996, but because the surface only sees racecars about once a year, grip is hard to come by, especially in the initial practice sessions. It’s a street circuit that behaves more like a natural road course.




•    DYK? Albert Park hosted races in the 1950s on a 5.03-kilometer (3.125-mile) configuration of the current circuit. During this time, however, the race ran in an anti-clockwise direction, as opposed to the current clockwise direction of the track’s layout.



•    During the course of the Australian Grand Prix, lows will range from 14-17 degrees Celsius (57-62 degrees Fahrenheit) to highs of 26-28 degrees Celsius (78-83 degrees Fahrenheit). Relative humidity ranges from 40 percent (comfortable) to 91 percent (very humid), with a dew point varying from 6 degrees Celsius/43 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) to 14 degrees Celsius/57 degrees Fahrenheit (comfortable).


 The dew point is rarely below 2 degrees Celsius/36 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) or above 17 degrees Celsius/63 degrees Fahrenheit (mildly humid). Typical wind speeds vary from 3-27 kph/2-17 mph (light air to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 43 kph/27 mph (strong breeze).





You can find photos from last year GP HERE






Ciaron’s Corner:



The Australian Grand Prix is the usual first race of a Formula 1 season as we open up on a street circuit inside a the Albert Park. It’s not your average race track, as it’s certainly unique in its own way with some fast corners, little run off areas and close barriers.




The last corner, in particular, is critical in both qualifying and the race. In qualifying it’s almost flat out, but by the end of the lap the rear tyres can start to overheat after the preceding sequence of closely spaced corners, making the exit tricky.



It’s important in the race as it leads on to the first of the two DRS straights, so getting a good exit is important for overtaking and defending. The two DRS zones are on consecutive straights, which allows a following car to get closer to the car ahead for the approach to Turn 3, which is the best overtaking spot of the lap.



F1 Pre-season tests in Barcelona


You never can compare the testing results from Barcelona, but there where however surprises as the times below show us.

Vettel in lead, followed by Hamilton, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Kvyat ... The days before there where more and more the young guns topping the times. There are a lot of betting running who will perform and win the F1 start in Australia, Melbourne.




F1 Australian Grand-Prix race result 2018



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 TAG Heuer     58     +7.069s     12
5     14     Fernando Alonso     McLaren Renault     58     +27.886s     10
6     33     Max Verstappen     Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer     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 Renault     58     +34.921s     2
10     55     Carlos Sainz     Renault     58     +45.722s     1
11     11     Sergio Perez     Force India Mercedes     58     +46.817s     0
12     31     Esteban Ocon     Force India Mercedes     58     +60.278s     0
13     16     Charles Leclerc     Sauber Ferrari     58     +75.759s     0
14     18     Lance Stroll     Williams Mercedes     58     +78.288s     0
15     28     Brendon Hartley     Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda     57     +1 lap     0


NC     8     Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari     24     DNF     0
NC     20     Kevin Magnussen     Haas Ferrari     22     DNF     0
NC     10     Pierre Gasly     Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda     13     DNF     0







- MaP- photos Sutton, LAT, Times F1