| 2017 Australian Grand Prix | ||||
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Race 1 of 20 in the2017 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | ||||
| Date | 26 March 2017 (2017-03-26) | |||
| Official name | 2017 Formula 1Rolex Australian Grand Prix[1][2] | |||
| Location | Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit,Melbourne,Australia | |||
| Course | Temporary street circuit | |||
| Course length | 5.303 km (3.295 miles) | |||
| Distance | 57 laps, 302.271 km (187.822 miles) | |||
| Scheduled distance | 58 laps, 307.574 km (191.117 miles) | |||
| Weather | Partly cloudy 24 °C (75 °F) air temperature 31–36 °C (88–97 °F) track temperature 2 m/s (4.5 mph; 7.2 km/h) wind from the northwest[3] | |||
| Attendance | 296,600[4] | |||
| Pole position | ||||
| Driver | Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:22.188 | |||
| Fastest lap | ||||
| Driver |  Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:26.538 on lap 56 | |||
| Podium | ||||
| First | Ferrari | |||
| Second | Mercedes | |||
| Third | Mercedes | |||
Lap leaders | ||||
The2017 Australian Grand Prix (formally known as the2017 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix) was aFormula Onemotor race that took place on 26 March 2017 inMelbourne. The race was contested over fifty-seven laps of theMelbourne Grand Prix Circuit and was the first round of the2017 FIA Formula One World Championship. The race marked the 82nd race in the combined history of theAustralian Grand Prix – which dates back to the100 Miles Road Race of 1928 – and the 22nd time the event was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. The reigningWorld ChampionNico Rosberg was the winner of the2016 race, but he did not defend his win as he retired from the sport after the 2016 season.[5][6]
Mercedes driverLewis Hamilton started the race from pole, matchingAyrton Senna's record of six pole positions in Australia.[7]Sebastian Vettel won the race, which was his andFerrari's first win since the2015 Singapore Grand Prix.[8] Hamilton finished second, withValtteri Bottas completing the podium in third on his début for Mercedes.[9]
The race was also Ferrari's first win in Australia since the2007 edition.
With the technical regulations undergoing a revision for the 2017 season,[10] the FIA requested that every circuit on the calendar undergo revisions to update safety features.[11] Organisers of the race introduced Tecpro barriers to the run-off areas at the fastest points of the circuit, and re-profiled tyre barriers.[12]
Before the beginning of the third free practice session,Sauber announced thatPascal Wehrlein would not start the race. Wehrlein had sustained a back injury in an accident at theRace of Champions during the winter pre-season. Although Wehrlein was certified as fit to take part in the Grand Prix ahead of the first practice session, he withdrew as a precaution, citing the increased physical demands of the 2017 specification of cars and the lack of sustained running during pre-season testing as compromising his ability to complete a full race distance. He was replaced byAntonio Giovinazzi for the third session, qualifying and the race.[13]
Lance Stroll made his Formula One début withWilliams.[14] Giovinazzi and Stroll were the only rookies in the field, withStoffel Vandoorne atMcLaren starting his first full season in the sport after a one-off appearance at the2016 Bahrain Grand Prix andEsteban Ocon atForce India starting his first full season in the sport after starting the last 9 races of the2016 season.[15]
Pirelli supplied the teams with ultrasoft, supersoft and soft tyres. Usually, teams are allowed to choose an individual selection of thirteen different sets for every driver. However, due to the selection deadline falling before the pre-season test when teams were first able to drive with the new compounds, Pirelli allocated every driver the same sets. These were seven sets of ultrasoft, four sets of supersoft and two sets of soft tyres.[16]
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Sebastian Vettel claimed his first win since 2015 after beating both the Mercedes drivers,Lewis Hamilton andValtteri Bottas, in a straight fight, Hamilton was not helped after he was held up for several laps behindMax Verstappen, the latter revealing he completed the race without a drinks bottle after the Red Bull team forgot to fit it in the car.[19]Daniel Ricciardo's car failed on the way to the grid, eventually he joined the race on the 2nd lap but then retired on lap 26, he said afterwards he was sent out "to have some fun".[20]
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |  Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 57 | 1:24:11.672 | 2 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 |  Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | +9.975 | 1 | 18 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 57 | +11.250 | 3 | 15 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 57 | +22.393 | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 33 |  Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 57 | +28.827 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 19 |  Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 57 | +1:23.386 | 7 | 8 |
| 7 | 11 |  Sergio Pérez | Force India-Mercedes | 56 | +1 Lap | 10 | 6 |
| 8 | 55 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. | Toro Rosso | 56 | +1 Lap | 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 26 |  Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 56 | +1 Lap | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 31 |  Esteban Ocon | Force India-Mercedes | 56 | +1 Lap | 13 | 1 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 56 | +1 Lap | 11 | |
| 12 | 36 |  Antonio Giovinazzi | Sauber-Ferrari | 55 | +2 Laps | 16 | |
| 13 | 2 |  Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren-Honda | 55 | +2 Laps | 18 | |
| Ret | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Honda | 50 | Broken floor | 12 | |
| Ret | 20 |  Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 46 | Suspension | 17 | |
| Ret | 18 |  Lance Stroll | Williams-Mercedes | 40 | Brakes | 20 | |
| Ret | 3 |  Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 25 | Fuel cell | PL1 | |
| Ret | 9 |  Marcus Ericsson | Sauber-Ferrari | 21 | Hydraulics | 14 | |
| Ret | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 15 | Brakes | 19 | |
| Ret | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 13 | Water leak | 6 | |
| Source:[8] | |||||||
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| Previous race: 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 2017 season | Next race: 2017 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2016 Australian Grand Prix | Australian Grand Prix | Next race: 2018 Australian Grand Prix |
