Round 2 - Albert Park, Melbourne
Summary
2010 will be the 26th world championship Australian Grand Prix, and the 15th held since Melbourne wrested the event from Adelaide in 1996.
The lakeside circuit in Albert Park hosted the Australian Grand Prix as long ago as the 1950s, when it was a non-championship event. The current layout is a street circuit with temporary facilities constructed for the race each year. There is a preponderance of slow- and medium-speed turns, with short straights, though the final sector features some faster turns, including the super-fast chicane at turns 11 & 12.
Rainfall in Victoria in March is usually low and to date no Australian Grands Prix in Melbourne have seen rain, though a number of qualifying sessions have been wet - infamously in 2005 when changing conditions caught out both Ferrari drivers.
Historically the winner of the Australian Grand Prix is more likely to go on to become world champion in that season than any other current event - nine times in the last twelve seasons, and all of the last four.
The overall finishing rate at Melbourne is very low.
The likelihood of a driver-related retirement is the highest of all current circuits.
Mechnical failures are more also likely at Albert Park than the for most other tracks.
Finally, a first lap retirement is more likely in Australia than at any other Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher has won four Grands Prix at Melbourne, while Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have recorded single victories. Other drivers to record good results at Albert Park include Nico Rosberg and Timo Glock, while Felipe Massa has a total of three points from seven starts for a solitary sixth place finish.
Ferrari have won five of the last ten Australian Grands Prix. The high retirement rate has also allowed smaller teams including Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India to record higher than usual points tallies over the years.
The Last Five Years
[td]Year[/td][td]Starters[/td][td]Finishers[/td][td]Retirements - Mech[/td][td]Retirements - Acc[/td][td]Lap 1 retirements[/td][td]Most places gained[/td]
Circuit Ranking (of all 18 circuits)
Finishing Rate
...
16th Catalunya 68%
17th Melbourne 68%
18th Montreal 63%
Mechanical Failures
...
5th Hungaroring 15%
6th= Melbourne 13%
6th= Sepang 13%
8th Hockenheim 13%
...
Driver-related Retirements
1st Melbourne 24%
2nd Montreal 20%
3rd Monte Carlo 15%
...
First lap Retirements
1st Melbourne 8.5%
2nd Interlagos 7.7%
3rd Catalunya 5.8%
...
Current Drivers' Records at Melbourne
[td]Driver[/td][td]Starts[/td][td]Finishes[/td][td]Best result[/td][td]Points[/td][td]Retirements - Mech[/td][td]Retirements - Acc[/td][td]Average grid pos.[/td]
Chassis Records at Melbourne (since 2000)
[td]Chassis[/td][td]Starts[/td][td]Finishes[/td][td]Best result[/td][td]Points[/td][td]Retirements - Mech[/td][td]Retirements - Acc[/td][td]Average grid pos.[/td]Results for Mercedes GP include BAR, Honda and Brawn
Results for BMW Sauber include Sauber
Results for Red Bull include Jaguar
Results for Force India include Jordan, Midland and Spyker
Results for Toro Rosso include Minardi
Engine Records at Melbourne (since 2000)
[td]Engine[/td][td]Starts[/td][td]Finishes[/td][td]Best result[/td][td]Points[/td][td]Retirements - Mech[/td][td]Retirements - Acc[/td][td]Average grid pos.[/td]Results for Ferrari include Petronas
Results for Cosworth include Ford
All ranking figures are expressed as a % of total starts.
"Retirements-Acc" are retirements where the reason has been listed as Collision, Accident or Spun Off.
Summary
2010 will be the 26th world championship Australian Grand Prix, and the 15th held since Melbourne wrested the event from Adelaide in 1996.
The lakeside circuit in Albert Park hosted the Australian Grand Prix as long ago as the 1950s, when it was a non-championship event. The current layout is a street circuit with temporary facilities constructed for the race each year. There is a preponderance of slow- and medium-speed turns, with short straights, though the final sector features some faster turns, including the super-fast chicane at turns 11 & 12.
Rainfall in Victoria in March is usually low and to date no Australian Grands Prix in Melbourne have seen rain, though a number of qualifying sessions have been wet - infamously in 2005 when changing conditions caught out both Ferrari drivers.
Historically the winner of the Australian Grand Prix is more likely to go on to become world champion in that season than any other current event - nine times in the last twelve seasons, and all of the last four.
The overall finishing rate at Melbourne is very low.
The likelihood of a driver-related retirement is the highest of all current circuits.
Mechnical failures are more also likely at Albert Park than the for most other tracks.
Finally, a first lap retirement is more likely in Australia than at any other Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher has won four Grands Prix at Melbourne, while Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have recorded single victories. Other drivers to record good results at Albert Park include Nico Rosberg and Timo Glock, while Felipe Massa has a total of three points from seven starts for a solitary sixth place finish.
Ferrari have won five of the last ten Australian Grands Prix. The high retirement rate has also allowed smaller teams including Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India to record higher than usual points tallies over the years.
The Last Five Years
2005 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 - Fernando Alonso (Renault) |
2006 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 13 - Jacques Villeneuve (Sauber) |
2007 | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 16 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari) |
2008 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 10 - Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) |
2009 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 17 - Jarno Trulli (Toyota) |
Overall | 106 | 72 | 14 | 25 | 9 |
Circuit Ranking (of all 18 circuits)
Finishing Rate
...
16th Catalunya 68%
17th Melbourne 68%
18th Montreal 63%
Mechanical Failures
...
5th Hungaroring 15%
6th= Melbourne 13%
6th= Sepang 13%
8th Hockenheim 13%
...
Driver-related Retirements
1st Melbourne 24%
2nd Montreal 20%
3rd Monte Carlo 15%
...
First lap Retirements
1st Melbourne 8.5%
2nd Interlagos 7.7%
3rd Catalunya 5.8%
...
Current Drivers' Records at Melbourne
Michael Schumacher | 11 | 7 | 1st (4) | 51 | 2 | 2 | 4.55 |
Fernando Alonso | 8 | 8 | 1st (1) | 41 | 0 | 0 | 9.13 |
Rubens Barrichello | 14 | 8 | 2nd (4) | 38 | 3 | 2 | 7.36 |
Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 1st (1) | 16 | 0 | 0 | 7.67 |
Jenson Button | 10 | 5 | 1st (1) | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9.7 |
Jarno Trulli | 13 | 6 | 3rd (1) | 12 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
Nico Rosberg | 4 | 3 | 3rd (1) | 11 | 0 | 1 | 9.5 |
Mark Webber | 8 | 4 | 5th (2) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 9.63 |
Timo Glock | 2 | 1 | 4th (1) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 18.5 |
Heikki Kovalainen | 3 | 2 | 5th (1) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9.33 |
Felipe Massa | 7 | 2 | 6th (1) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12.14 |
Sebastien Buemi | 1 | 1 | 7th (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Pedro de la Rosa | 3 | 2 | 6th (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16.67 |
Adrian Sutil | 3 | 2 | 9th (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19.33 |
Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 1 | 13th (1) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Robert Kubica | 3 | 1 | 14th (1) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3.67 |
Vitantonio Liuzzi | 2 | 1 | 14th (1) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15.5 |
Jaime Alguersuari | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Karun Chandhok | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Lucas di Grassi | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Nico Hülkenberg | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Kamui Kobayashi | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Vitaly Petrov | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Bruno Senna | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Chassis Records at Melbourne (since 2000)
Ferrari | 20 | 13 | 1st (5) | 85 | 4 | 5 | 6.45 |
McLaren | 20 | 12 | 1st (2) | 67 | 5 | 2 | 6.85 |
Renault | 20 | 16 | 1st (2) | 59 | 1 | 4 | 10.15 |
Williams | 20 | 11 | 2nd (2) | 46 | 3 | 6 | 8.7 |
BMW Sauber | 20 | 12 | 2nd (1) | 28 | 4 | 4 | 9.2 |
Mercedes GP | 20 | 15 | 1st (1) | 27 | 2 | 3 | 9.55 |
Red Bull | 20 | 12 | 4th (2) | 11 | 4 | 6 | 12.45 |
Toro Rosso | 20 | 11 | 5th (1) | 7 | 7 | 2 | 17.55 |
Force India | 20 | 9 | 5th (1) | 2 | 8 | 4 | 14.3 |
Hispania | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Lotus | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Virgin | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Results for BMW Sauber include Sauber
Results for Red Bull include Jaguar
Results for Force India include Jordan, Midland and Spyker
Results for Toro Rosso include Minardi
Engine Records at Melbourne (since 2000)
Ferrari | 46 | 26 | 1st (5) | 98 | 11 | 11 | 10.59 |
Mercedes-Benz | 24 | 16 | 1st (3) | 85 | 5 | 2 | 7.13 |
Renault | 24 | 17 | 1st (2) | 57 | 1 | 8 | 9.92 |
Cosworth | 28 | 13 | 4th (2) | 10 | 10 | 4 | 15 |
Results for Cosworth include Ford
All ranking figures are expressed as a % of total starts.
"Retirements-Acc" are retirements where the reason has been listed as Collision, Accident or Spun Off.