2015 Australian Grand Prix

Formula One motor race December 2024 F1 Australia Australian Race Preview: 2015 Australian Grand Prix http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/oz_preview.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20150530045832/http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/oz_preview.pdf 30 May 2015 28 May 2015 FIA.com Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile live 2015 03 15 y 2015 1 19 Albert_Lake_Park_Street_Circuit_in_Melbourne,_Australia.svg 200px 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Temporary street circuit 5.303 km mi on 58 307.574 km mi on Partly cloudy17-18 C F air temperature32-37 C F track temperature6 m/s ft/s on wind from the southGP Australien in Melbourne / Rennen http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/ergeb/2015/01/71.shtml motorsport-total.com de 20 March 2016 GP Australia in Melbourne / Race 19 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160419111219/http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/ergeb/2015/01/71.shtml live 296,000 (Weekend) 101,500 (Race Day) Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 1:26.327 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.945 50 GBR Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes Nico Rosberg DEU Mercedes Sebastian Vettel DEU Ferrari AUS 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix The 2015 Australian Grand Prix, formally titled the 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix,2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/races/2015/Australia.html Formula1.com Formula One Administration 1 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150601025512/http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/races/2015/Australia.html 1 June 2015 was a Formula One motor race that was held on 15 March 2015 in Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The race was contested over fifty-eight laps of the Albert Park Circuit and was the first round of the 2015 Formula One World Championship. The race marked the 80th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix – which dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928 – and the 20th time the event was held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/page/2597.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150403131307/http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/page/2597.html 3 April 2015 A history of the Australian Grand Prix ESPN 20 March 2015 Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was the defending race winner.2014 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix – Results http://forix.autosport.com/gp.php?l=0&r=20140001&c=2 FORIX Autosport 16 March 2014 13 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20140414005638/http://forix.autosport.com/login.php?l=0&p=gp.php%3Fl%3D0%7Cr%3D20140001%7Cc%3D2 14 April 2014 dead His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton started the race from pole, his fourth at the circuit and a record for the venue. Hamilton led home Rosberg in a Mercedes 1–2 finish, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel completing the podium in his first start with the team.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118069 Lewis Hamilton beats Nico Rosberg to win Lawrence Barretto Autosport Haymarket Publications 15 March 2015 15 March 2015 16 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150316231343/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118069 livehttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/mar/15/australian-gp-f1-2015-live Australian GP: F1 2015 – as it happened 15 March 2015 The Guardian Adam Woolcock 16 March 2015 11 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230411051426/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/mar/15/australian-gp-f1-2015-live live This race also featured the debuts of future four-time world champion Max Verstappen, and future race winner Carlos Sainz, both driving for Toro Rosso. In the process, Verstappen set the record for the youngest-ever debut in Formula One at 17 years and 166 days old. Background The 2015 Australian Grand Prix took place at the 5.303 km mi on Albert Park Circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria on 15 March 2015; it was the first round in the 2015 Formula One World Championship and the 20th World Championship Australian Grand Prix to be held at the circuit.2015 Australian Grand Prix https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/2015-australian-grand-prix/ 30 December 2024 Motor SportEsler William 16 March 2015 The 2015 Australian GP preview: Everything you need to know about the race! https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12515/9751325/the-2015-australian-gp-preview-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-race 30 December 2024 Sky Sports Pre-season testing thumb|The new Red Bull RB11 sported a camouflage livery during testing. After a dominant performance by Mercedes in the 2014 season, pre-season testing for the 2015 season proved they would still be fastest of the field. The new Williams FW37 appeared to be quick and reliable, while Ferrari in particular seemed to have made a big step forward.Barstow Ollie What we learned during pre-season F1 testing http://www.crash.net/f1/feature/215209/1/what-we-learned-during-preseason-f1-testing.html Crash 18 April 2015 2 March 2015 18 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150418170143/http://www.crash.net/f1/feature/215209/1/what-we-learned-during-preseason-f1-testing.html dead Former four-time world champions Red Bull ran a car in black-and-white camouflage, that did nothing to disguise the fact that the Austrian team still struggled with problems concerning their Renault engines, doing the second fewest laps during the first test in Jerez.Weaver Paul F1 2015: 10 things we learned from the Jerez testing session https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/05/f1-2015-jerez-10-things-we-learned The Guardian 18 April 2015 5 February 2015 10 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230410192540/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/05/f1-2015-jerez-10-things-we-learned live While Lotus, Toro Rosso and Sauber were considered to be contesting for points with considerable advances made over the winter, the new partnership between McLaren and Honda got off to a bad start. The team completed 380 laps, almost half of the next worst team, Force India.Barstow Ollie 2015 F1 pre-season testing – laps and mileage http://www.crash.net/f1/results/215237/1/2015-f1-preseason-testing-laps-and-mileage.html Crash 18 April 2015 3 March 2015 19 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170519063753/http://www.crash.net/f1/results/215237/1/2015-f1-preseason-testing-laps-and-mileage.html live Furthermore, Fernando Alonso, who had signed back to the team after his controversial 2007 season, crashed during the second testing session in Barcelona and missed the first race of the season.Benson Andrew Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver to miss Australian Grand Prix https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31713292 https://web.archive.org/web/20150304072227/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31713292 4 March 2015 BBC Sport BBC 18 April 2015 3 March 2015 Force India struggled to get their new car, the VJM08, on track. After missing the first test in Jerez,Collantine Keith Force India rules out using old car at first Jerez test http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/28/force-india-rules-using-old-car-first-jerez-test/ F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 18 April 2015 28 January 2015 31 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170831082819/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/28/force-india-rules-using-old-car-first-jerez-test/ live they started testing with their 2014 car in Barcelona before introducing their new model late.Collantine Keith Hulkenberg will be first to drive new Force India http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/02/26/hulkenberg-will-be-first-to-drive-new-force-india/ F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 18 April 2015 26 February 2015 31 March 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170331120149/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/02/26/hulkenberg-will-be-first-to-drive-new-force-india/ live Driver changes The 2015 Australian Grand Prix saw the debut of several young drivers new to Formula One and a late replacement for McLaren's Fernando Alonso. Two weeks prior to the Grand Prix, McLaren announced that Alonso would miss the inaugural 2015 race due to a concussion suffered in a crash during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.http://en.f1i.com/news/4431-concussed-alonso-stay-hospital-overnight.html Concussed Alonso to stay in hospital overnight Chris Medland F1i Chris Medland 22 February 2015 24 March 2015 29 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201029055637/https://en.f1i.com/news/4431-concussed-alonso-stay-hospital-overnight.html dead Doctors advised Alonso not to race, avoiding further medical complications and his place was therefore taken by McLaren reserve driver, Kevin Magnussen,http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/3/16854.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150311211803/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/3/16854.html 11 March 2015 Alonso to miss Australian race on medical advice Formula1.com Formula One Administration 3 March 2015 3 March 2015 who finished second on his debut at the same event in 2014.Kevin Magnussen https://www.mclaren.com/racing/heritage/formula-1/drivers/kevin-magnussen/ McLaren 8 March 2023 29 December 2024 The new drivers to Formula One included the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen, Manor Marussia's Will Stevens – on a full-time basis, after one start in 2014 – and Roberto Merhi,Roberto Merhi appointed by Manor Marussia to partner Will Stevens https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9751631/roberto-merhi-appointed-by-manor-marussia-to-partner-will-stevens 2015-03-16 2024-12-27 Sky Sports en 27 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241227134058/https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9751631/roberto-merhi-appointed-by-manor-marussia-to-partner-will-stevens live Galloway James Will Stevens lands Manor race seat for 2015 as team's planned return continues apace https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9731531/will-stevens-lands-manor-race-seat-for-2015-as-teams-planned-return-continues-apace https://web.archive.org/web/20240226011433/https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9731531/will-stevens-lands-manor-race-seat-for-2015-as-teams-planned-return-continues-apace 2015-03-16 26 February 2024 2024-12-27 Sky Sports en-GB live and Felipe Nasr racing for Sauber.Bellingham Tom 2015-03-15 6 things we learned from Melbourne https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/2015-australian-grand-prix-f1-report 2024-12-27 Red Bull en-gb 27 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241227134058/https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/2015-australian-grand-prix-f1-report live Most notably, Verstappen became the youngest driver in the history of Formula One, debuting at the age of 1997 9 30 2015 3 15.Richards Giles https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/03/max-verstappen-becomes-youngest-man-to-drive-a-formula-one-car The Guardian 3 October 2014 25 October 2022 Max Verstappen becomes youngest man to drive a Formula One car 16 March 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220316225630/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/03/max-verstappen-becomes-youngest-man-to-drive-a-formula-one-car liveHardy Ed Youngest drivers to have ever started an F1 grand prix https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/every-teenager-to-have-started-an-f1-grand-prix-/10587845/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240806035755/https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/every-teenager-to-have-started-an-f1-grand-prix-/10587845/ Autosport Haymarket Publications 2024-03-15 6 August 2024 2024-12-27 en live Manor Marussia Following a tumultuous pre-season in which they went through a period of administration and were saved by late investment, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/31127165 https://web.archive.org/web/20150207100742/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31127165 7 February 2015 Marussia team could make Formula 1 return this season Andrew Benson BBC Sport BBC 4 February 2015 live 4 February 2015 Manor Marussia arrived in Melbourne with a car that had passed its mandatory crash tests, but had completed no testing. Formula Renault 3.5 Series drivers Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi were announced as their drivers, with Merhi signed on a one-race deal.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117975 Roberto Merhi to race for Manor F1 team in Australian Grand Prix 9 March 2015 9 March 2015 Autosport Haymarket Publications Glenn Freeman 14 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160314041621/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117975 live However, the team did not participate in any practice sessions and subsequently failed to set a qualifying time due to a software glitch preventing their year-old Ferrari engines from being started, thus failing to qualify and leaving the field at 18 cars for the race.Hughes Mark Mark Hughes (journalist) 16 March 2015 2015 Australian GP report https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/2015-australian-gp-report/ 29 December 2024 Motor Sport Motor Sport Magazine Limited Legal action against Sauber A week before the start of the Grand Prix weekend, Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde launched legal action against Sauber before the Supreme Court of Victoria, to enforce a contract he entered into in June 2014 to drive for the team during the 2015 season.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/31752616 https://web.archive.org/web/20150307163503/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/31752616 7 March 2015 Giedo van der Garde: Ex-Sauber test driver takes legal action BBC Sport BBC 5 March 2015 live 5 March 2015 This action was based on an award that van der Garde obtained on 2 March 2015 through international arbitration in Switzerland, which he initiated after the team announced in November 2014 that their 2015 drivers would instead be Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.Client Update: The driver, the racing team, the Grand Prix and the court – high-speed arbitration enforcement in the Victorian Supreme Court http://www.allens.com.au/pubs/arb/cuarb16mar15.htm 20 March 2015 Allens 16 March 2015 2 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104723/http://www.allens.com.au/pubs/arb/cuarb16mar15.htm live On Wednesday, 11 March 2015, van der Garde succeeded by obtaining court orders compelling Sauber to permit him to drive in Melbourne. On the same day, Sauber appealed the orders made against them and also publicly announced that they would not compromise the safety of the team or other drivers by putting van der Garde in the car, since the C34 chassis had only been tailored to fit Ericsson and Nasr.http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/11/sauber-will-not-risk-safety-after-van-der-garde-ruling/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150311230702/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/11/sauber-will-not-risk-safety-after-van-der-garde-ruling/ 11 March 2015 Sauber will not risk safety after van der Garde ruling Keith Collantine F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 10 March 2015 10 March 2015http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/11/van-der-garde-case-drags-into-thursday-as-sauber-appeal-continues/ Van der Garde case drags into Thursday as Sauber appeal continues Adam Cooper Adam Cooper's F1 Blog WordPress 11 March 2015 11 March 2015 11 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150311230226/http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/11/van-der-garde-case-drags-into-thursday-as-sauber-appeal-continues/ live The appeal was heard and dismissed the following day on 12 March 2015. As part of its legal argument, aside from raising safety concerns, Sauber also submitted that van der Garde's contract had been terminated by the team in February with the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s Contract Recognition Board in any event, and that van der Garde violated confidentiality clauses of the contract by discussing it with the media.https://speedcafe.com/court-to-decide-van-der-garde-fate-this-afternoon/ Court to decide van der Garde fate this afternoon Speedcafe Tom Howard 12 March 2015 12 March 2015 13 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150313103441/http://www.speedcafe.com/2015/03/12/court-to-decide-van-der-garde-fate-this-afternoon/ live Lawyers representing Ericsson and Nasr further argued that van der Garde had not followed due process by failing to give their clients prior notice of his legal action. The court upheld the previous orders to permit van der Garde to participate in the racehttp://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/12/sauber-loses-appeal-against-van-der-garde-judgement/ Sauber loses appeal against van der Garde judgement Keith Collantine F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 12 March 2015 12 March 2015 13 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150313093916/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/12/sauber-loses-appeal-against-van-der-garde-judgement/ live and adjourned the hearing to the following day on 13 March 2015, to hear arguments on contempt of court proceedings launched by van der Garde's legal team against Sauber's team principal, Monisha Kaltenborn.http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/13/sauber-case-continues-but-agreement-could-be-close/ Sauber case continues but agreement could be close Adam Cooper Adam Cooper's F1 Blog WordPress 13 March 2015 13 March 2015 15 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315000523/http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/13/sauber-case-continues-but-agreement-could-be-close/ live Some two hours after the court made its initial judgment in favour of van der Garde, the FIA published an entry list for the Australian Grand Prix that included both Nasr and Ericsson for Sauber following pre-event scrutineering.http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/championship/documents/20150312/Formula%20One%20Australian%20Grand%20Prix%202015%20Document%20-%205_0.pdf 2015 Australian Grand Prix – Entry List 12 March 2015 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile FIA.com 12 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150312173340/http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/championship/documents/20150312/Formula%20One%20Australian%20Grand%20Prix%202015%20Document%20-%205_0.pdf 12 March 2015 live Despite this, neither driver took to the circuit during the first practice session on the Friday https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31748403 Australian Grand Prix first practice 13 March 2015 13 March 2015 BBC Sport BBC Rose Gary 13 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150313232429/http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31748403 live due to Sauber running the risk of having team assets seized for not complying with court orders. Nevertheless, based on media speculation about Bernie Ecclestone's intervention to avoid further negative publicity on the sport,Sauber Formula One team settles with van der Garde for $16 million http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/sauber-f1-teams-settles-van-der-garde-16-million 21 March 2015 Autoweek Hearst Communications 17 March 2015 20 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150320222410/http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/sauber-f1-teams-settles-van-der-garde-16-million live Ericsson and Nasr did participate in that afternoon's second practice session.http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/13/mercedes-leads-ferrari-in-second-practice/ Mercedes leads Ferrari in second practice Keith Collantine F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 13 March 2015 13 March 2015 15 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315170223/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/13/mercedes-leads-ferrari-in-second-practice/ live On Saturday, 14 March 2015, the dispute reached a temporary resolution thanks to van der Garde announcing that he would forego racing in Melbourne,http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/van-der-garde-drops-legal-action--won-t-race-for-sauber-in-austr.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150315093222/http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/van-der-garde-drops-legal-action--won-t-race-for-sauber-in-austr.html 15 March 2015 Van der Garde won't race for Sauber in Australia Formula1.com Formula One Administration 14 March 2015 14 March 2015 with a view to finding a more permanent solution in the future.http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/13/van-der-garde-and-sauber-reach-agreement-but-story-inot-over-yet/ Van der Garde and Sauber reach agreement but story not over yet Adam Cooper Adam Cooper's F1 Blog WordPress 14 March 2015 14 March 2015 15 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315012329/http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/03/13/van-der-garde-and-sauber-reach-agreement-but-story-inot-over-yet/ live Tyres Pirelli announced they would be supplying teams with the white-banded medium compound tyre as the prime selection and the yellow-banded soft compound as the option selection for the event.http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/3/16856.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150309224731/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2015/3/16856.html 9 March 2015 Pirelli reveal tyre choices for first four races 4 March 2015 8 March 2015 Formula1.com Formula One Administration Practice Per the regulations for the 2015 season, three practice sessions were held, two 1.5-hour sessions on Friday and another one-hour session before qualifying on Saturday.Practice and qualifying http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/inside-f1/rules-regs/Practice_qualifying_and_race_start_procedure.html Formula1.com Formula One Administration 25 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150905082403/http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/inside-f1/rules-regs/Practice_qualifying_and_race_start_procedure.html 5 September 2015 Mercedes confirmed their good form from pre-season testing and topped the time sheets by a considerable margin in the first two practice sessions on Friday, with Nico Rosberg fastest in both outings. Valtteri Bottas in the Williams was third fastest on Friday morning, some 1.2 seconds down on Rosberg's time.Collantine Keith Mercedes fly but Sauber and Manor miss first practice http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/13/mercedes-fly-but-sauber-and-manor-sit-out-first-practice/ F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 20 April 2015 13 March 2015 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062309/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/13/mercedes-fly-but-sauber-and-manor-sit-out-first-practice/ live Ferrari's new signing Sebastian Vettel was third on Friday afternoon, seven-tenths of a second down on Rosberg. Toro Rosso showed promising times, outperforming their sister team Red Bull in the first session. Only 16 cars participated on Friday morning. Sauber kept to the garage due to their legal troubles while Manor Marussia was unable to get their cars running all weekend. The Saubers did go out for the second session, while local favourite Daniel Ricciardo and Felipe Massa missed the session due to problems with their cars. McLaren's problems continued as both cars were limited to very few laps. The first session also saw another evaluation run of the new Virtual Safety Car system. Lewis Hamilton lapped faster than his teammate during the third practice session on Saturday morning, as Rosberg only managed third behind Vettel, almost a second down on Hamilton. Both Williams and Ferrari had another good session, while Lotus got both their drivers in the top ten, raising hopes for a points finish on Sunday. Red Bull continued to struggle, with Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat down in 15th and 18th and Ricciardo's car stopping at the end of pit lane due to engine problems. Between them were the once more off-the-pace McLaren drivers.Collantine Keith Hamilton ahead as practice ends without Manor http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/14/hamilton-ahead-as-practice-ends-without-manor-running/ F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 20 April 2015 14 March 2015 9 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161009162821/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/14/hamilton-ahead-as-practice-ends-without-manor-running/ live Qualifying Qualifying consisted of three parts, 18, 15 and 12 minutes in length respectively, with five drivers eliminated from competing after each of the first two sessions. Since the cars of Manor Marussia failed to start, only three drivers were eliminated during the first session of qualifying (Q1), all of which was run in dry conditions. The McLaren cars of Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen struggled as expected, following their lack of pre-season testing and failed to make it into Q2, just as Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson. Mercedes and Williams' Valtteri Bottas were the only ones not having to use the softer tyres to proceed into the next part of qualifying.Weaver Paul 2015-03-14 Lewis Hamilton dominates to take pole position at Australian Grand Prix https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/14/lewis-hamilton-pole-australian-grand-prix 2024-12-27 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 8 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230408010555/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/14/lewis-hamilton-pole-australian-grand-prix live The second session saw the Mercedes drivers doing only one timed run, which proved sufficient to proceed, while the Red Bull and Toro Rosso cars were split up, with Daniil Kvyat and rookie Max Verstappen failing to make it through. Also eliminated were both Force India drivers and the second Sauber of Felipe Nasr, though in a respectable eleventh place on the grid. In Q3, Nico Rosberg ran wide onto the grass at turn 15 on his first flying lap and lost the chance to seek areas of improvement for his second run.Wise Mike Lewis Hamilton takes pole position for the Australian Grand Prix https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9758073 2015-03-16 2024-12-27 Sky Sports en 27 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241227134057/https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9758073 liveStraw Edd Freeman Glenn Anderson Ben Benyon Jack Barretto Lawrence Classic Autosport Live: Saturday – Qualifying – F1 2015 Australian Grand Prix http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/828 2015-03-16 2024-12-27 Autosport Haymarket Publications 27 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241227134058/http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/828 live Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in all three sessions, capitalized on his teammate's problem and took pole position by over half a second. It was his 39th pole position and his 4th at Albert Park. The rest of the field was more than a second behind Hamilton's time, with Felipe Massa in the Williams best of the rest in third position. The two Ferrari cars of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen proved their regained competitiveness by taking fourth and fifth on the grid respectively.Collantine Keith Hamilton leads Mercedes rout in qualifying http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/14/hamilton-leads-mercedes-rout-in-qualifying/ F1Fanatic Keith Collantine 18 April 2015 14 March 2015 9 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161009162826/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/03/14/hamilton-leads-mercedes-rout-in-qualifying/ live Qualifying classification Pos. Qualifying positionCarno. NumberDriverConstructorQualifying timesFinalgrid Final grid positionQ1Q2Q3 1 44 GBR Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.586 1:26.894 1:26.327 1 2 6 GER Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:28.906 1:27.097 1:26.921 2 3 19 BRA Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:29.246 1:27.895 1:27.718 3 4 5 GER Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:29.307 1:27.742 1:27.757 4 5 7 FIN Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:29.754 1:27.807 1:27.790 5 6 77 FIN Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:29.641 1:27.796 1:28.087 —2 2 7 3 AUS Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:29.788 1:28.679 1:28.329 6 8 55 ESP Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso-Renault 1:29.597 1:28.601 1:28.510 7 9 8 FRA Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 1:29.537 1:28.589 1:28.560 8 10 13 VEN Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 1:29.847 1:28.726 1:29.480 9 11 12 BRA Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.430 1:28.800N/A 10 12 33 NED Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 1:29.248 1:28.868N/A 11 13 26 RUS Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:30.402 1:29.070N/A 12 14 27 DEU Nico Hülkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:29.651 1:29.208N/A 13 15 11 MEX Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 1:29.990 1:29.209N/A 14 16 9 SWE Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.376N/A N/A 15 17 22 GBR Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1:31.422N/A N/A 16 18 20 DNK  Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Honda 1:32.037N/AN/A 17 107% time: 1:34.787 DNP Did not practice 28 GBR Will Stevens Marussia-Ferrari No timeN/AN/A DNP Did not practice 98 ESP Roberto Merhi Marussia-Ferrari No timeN/AN/A Source:2015 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying results http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/results/2015-race-results/2015-australia-results/qualifying.html Formula1.com Formula One Administration 14 March 2014 14 March 2015 14 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150314084753/http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/results/2015-race-results/2015-australia-results/qualifying.html deadDodgins Tony https://archive.org/details/autocourse2015200000unse/ Autocourse 2015–16 Hamilton Maurice Icon Publishing 2016 978-1910584088 Malvern, Worcestershire 110–115 FIA Formula 1 World Championship – Round 1 – Australian Grand Prix registration Internet Archive Race thumb|Nico Rosberg celebrates second place during the podium ceremony. Since the Manor Marussia cars were unable to make their race debut, there were 18 qualified cars left. Before the race began, Valtteri Bottas was deemed unfit to compete by FIA medical delegate Jean-Charles Piette due to Bottas suffering an annular disc tear in his lower back during qualifying.Linden Julian Injured Bottas misses Australian GP http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-racing-prix-bottas-idUKKBN0MB04F20150315 https://web.archive.org/web/20150321143831/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/15/uk-motor-racing-prix-bottas-idUKKBN0MB04F20150315 21 March 2015 Reuters 20 April 2015 15 March 2015Anderson Ben 19 March 2015 Champion back out and fighting https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/autosport/2015/03/AS2015.03.19.pdf Autosport Haymarket Publications 15-31 29 December 2024 Both Daniil Kvyat's Red Bull and Kevin Magnussen's McLaren failed to make it to the grid as their cars broke down on the out-lap; Kvyat suffering transmission problems and Magnussen with an engine failure.F1 Australian GP: Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat fail to start http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118068 Autosport Haymarket Publications 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20210305170553/https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-australian-gp-kevin-magnussen-and-daniil-kvyat-fail-to-start-5009725/5009725/ 5 March 2021 dead This left the grid with 15 starters – the lowest number for a season-opening race since 1963Rose Gary Lewis Hamilton wins Australian Grand Prix https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31580364 BBC Sport BBC 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 9 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230409014921/https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31580364 live and the lowest overall since the 2005 United States Grand Prix.Caygill Graham 15 March 2015 Lewis Hamilton wins Australian GP; Sebastian Vettel nabs podium for Ferrari as only 11 finish https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/lewis-hamilton-wins-australian-gp-sebastian-vettel-nabs-podium-for-ferrari-as-only-11-finish-1.44300/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20150427123125/http://www.thenational.ae/sport/formula-one/lewis-hamilton-wins-australian-gp-sebastian-vettel-nabs-podium-for-ferrari-as-only-11-finish 27 April 2015 20 April 2015 The NationalReuters 2015-03-15 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix reduced to 14 cars early on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/15/f1-australian-grand-prix-reduced-to-14-cars 2024-12-27 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 When the red lights went out to signify the start of the race, Hamilton assumed the lead while a three-car wide tussle at turn one, involving Kimi Räikkönen, Felipe Nasr and Pastor Maldonado, resulted in Maldonado crashing out at turn two and race officials deploying the safety car. On the next lap, Romain Grosjean's engine lost power thus taking both Lotus cars out of the race. The safety car was withdrawn on lap four, with Carlos Sainz Jr. falling back from fifth to his starting position in seventh place after being passed by Nasr and Daniel Ricciardo. Nasr also lost track position after being ordered by his team to relinquish a position for overtaking while still under safety car conditions.Hamilton wins Australian race of attrition https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-wins-australian-race-of-attrition.7ioVNZpU90TFexezwPKl1I 2015-03-15 2024-12-27 Formula1.com Formula One Administration en 27 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241227134057/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-wins-australian-race-of-attrition.7ioVNZpU90TFexezwPKl1I live Hamilton maintained the race lead while saving fuel before increasing his pace until the end of lap 25, when he made a pit stop for a new set of the medium compound tyres. He resumed the lead from Rosberg after he too had to make a pit stop for new medium compound tyres. During this series of pit stops, Sebastian Vettel gained a position by passing Felipe Massa for third place. On lap 34, Max Verstappen retired from the race while running in sixth place after the rear of his Toro Rosso car was engulfed by smoke due to an engine failure. On lap 41, Räikkönen also retired at turn four after the mechanic was unable to fully tighten a cross-threaded left-rear wheel peg that had been embedded in a stub axle during a pit stop, causing his left rear tyre to come loose. This put Jenson Button briefly into the tenth and final points position but for Sergio Pérez quickly passing the McLaren-Honda driver after a 42-lap battle that begun at the start, for last position. From there, the order remained relatively constant with Hamilton going on to take his 34th Grand Prix win. He was followed by Rosberg, who was 1.3 seconds behind in second. Vettel was third, Massa took fourth and Nasr came in fifth. Completing the point-scorers were Ricciardo, Nico Hülkenberg, Ericsson, Sainz and Pérez in positions six through ten. In all, only eleven cars finished the race with Button's McLaren being the only car to finish outside the points and everyone from sixth position down lapped.Tyers Alan 15 March 2015 Australian Grand Prix 2015: as it happened https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/11473092/Australian-Grand-Prix-2015-live.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20230406201134/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/11473092/Australian-Grand-Prix-2015-live.html 6 April 2023 29 March 2015 The Sunday Telegraph Ericsson, Nasr and Sainz all scored their first Formula One points, with Nasr and Sainz doing so on debut. In addition, Nasr achieved the highest placing for a Brazilian driver making their Grand Prix début.http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/features/2015/melbourne-stats---nasr-ends-sauber-s-pointless-streak-on-dream-d.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150316092832/http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/features/2015/melbourne-stats---nasr-ends-sauber-s-pointless-streak-on-dream-d.html 16 March 2015 Melbourne stats – Nasr ends Sauber's pointless streak in style Formula1.com Formula One Administration 15 March 2015 16 March 2015 Post-race There was satisfaction at Mercedes, with second-placed Nico Rosberg calling it "an awesome start to the season for us as a team".Sunday's FIA press conference http://www.planetf1.com/grand-prix/australia/press-conference https://web.archive.org/web/20150315105235/http://www.planetf1.com/grand-prix/australia/press-conference 15 March 2015 PlanetF1 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 Rosberg praised Lewis Hamilton's performance in particular, saying: "He drove like a world champion all weekend, so couldn't quite beat him but for sure I was trying every single lap, all the way to the maximum, and I will do all year." The dominant performance by the Mercedes cars sparked controversy in the paddock. Daniel Ricciardo issued apologies to the Australian fans after what he felt was a "boring" race.Australian Grand Prix a 'boring race,' according to F1 driver Ricciardo http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/australian-gp-boring-race-according-f1-driver-ricciardo Autoweek Hearst Communications 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 11 April 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150411231943/http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/australian-gp-boring-race-according-f1-driver-ricciardo live Red Bull quarreled with their engine manufacturer Renault and lamented the dominance of their rivals, calling for the FIA to step in and apply rule changes to level the field,Weaver Paul Red Bull's Christian Horner asks FIA for help to save F1 season https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/15/red-bull-christian-horner-fia-f1-season The Guardian 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 6 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230406115402/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/15/red-bull-christian-horner-fia-f1-season live fearing that the public would lose interest in the sport if nothing happened.Johnson Daniel Lewis Hamilton wins Australian Grand Prix easily but sparks furious outburst from Mercedes' rivals https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/lewishamilton/11473582/Lewis-Hamilton-wins-Australian-Grand-Prix-easily-but-sparks-furious-outburst-from-Mercedes-rivals.html The Sunday Telegraph 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 8 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230408170301/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/lewishamilton/11473582/Lewis-Hamilton-wins-Australian-Grand-Prix-easily-but-sparks-furious-outburst-from-Mercedes-rivals.html live Mercedes chief Toto Wolff reacted furiously, telling his rivals to "get your f*****g head down and work to sort it out", but later made it clear that he "didn't mean the f-word in relation to him" regarding the comments by Christian Horner. Nico Rosberg voiced hopes that their rivals would get closer over the course of the season, saying during the post-race press conference: "I hope we can have a good fight. That would be awesome." This statement caused amusement from Sebastian Vettel, who replied: "Be honest. Do you really hope so? Seriously? You finished 30 seconds ahead of us and you hope it's going to be closer? So you hope you slow down? Is that what you're saying?"Seb 2, Nico 0 in press conference http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3308/37382/Seb-2-Nico-0-in-press-conference https://web.archive.org/web/20150320034743/http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3308/37382/Seb-2-Nico-0-in-press-conference 20 March 2015 PlanetF1 20 April 2015 16 March 2015 Sauber was delighted by their performance over the weekend, having scored 14 points in the first race of the season, compared to none in the entire previous season.Nasr delighted with P5 in 'emotional race' http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3308/37154/Nasr-delighted-with-P5-in-emotional-race https://web.archive.org/web/20150321194334/http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3308/37154/Nasr-delighted-with-P5-in-emotional-race 21 March 2015 PlanetF1 20 April 2015 15 March 2015 Because Manor Marussia failed to notify the stewards of their inability to field a car, the team was summoned by the FIA to explain why they did not participate in qualifying.http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-summons-manor-after-missing-qualifying/ FIA summons Manor after missing qualifying Motorsport.com, Inc. Motorsport.com] Pablo Elizalde 14 March 2015 16 March 2015 15 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315094914/http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-summons-manor-after-missing-qualifying dead However, the hearing provided sufficient evidence to the FIA's satisfaction that the team would have been unable to field their cars, even if they had violated curfew. Despite this, Ecclestone subsequently announced that Manor Marussia would have to cover their freight charges to and from Australia, costs normally covered by Formula One Management.http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/323231/fia-clears-manor-over-qualifying-absence/ FIA clears Manor over qualifying absence GPUpdate 15 March 2015 16 March 2015 16 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150316062306/http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/323231/fia-clears-manor-over-qualifying-absence/ live http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/323295/manor-to-pay-for-australia-freight-costs/ Manor to pay Australian GP freight costs GPUpdate 16 March 2015 18 March 2015 18 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150318053625/http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/323295/manor-to-pay-for-australia-freight-costs/ live Race classification Pos. Position No. Car number Driver Constructor Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 44 GBR Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 581:31:54.067 1 25 2 6 DEU Nico Rosberg Mercedes 58 +1.360 2 18 3 5 DEU Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 58 +34.523 4 15 4 19 BRA Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 58 +38.196 3 12 5 12 BRA Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 58 +1:35.149 10 10 6 3 AUS Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 57 +1 Lap 6 8 7 27 DEU Nico Hülkenberg Force India-Mercedes 57 +1 Lap 13 6 8 9 SWE Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 57 +1 Lap 15 4 9 55 ESP Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso-Renault 57 +1 Lap 7 2 10 11 MEX Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 57 +1 Lap 14 1 11 22 GBR Jenson Button McLaren-Honda56 +2 Laps 16 Ret Retired 7 FIN Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 40 Wheel 5 Ret Retired 33 NED Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 32 Engine 11 Ret Retired 8 FRA Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 0 Power loss 8 Ret Retired 13 VEN Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 0 Collision 9 DNS Did not start 26 RUS Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Racing-Renault 0 Gearbox —1 1 DNS Did not start 20 DNK  Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Honda 0 Engine —1 1 DNS Did not start 77 FIN Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 0 Injury —2 2 Source: Notes: 1 1 – Both Kvyat's and Magnussen's cars failed on the way from the pitlane to the starting grid. https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31580364 How the Australian GP unfolded Benson Andrew 15 March 2015 BBC Sport BBC 19 March 2015 9 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230409014921/https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/formula1/31580364 live 2 2 – As Valtteri Bottas was unable to start the race due to a back injury suffered during qualifying and spending the night at the hospital without being cleared to race by the FIA,http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/bottas-declared-unfit-to-race-in-australian-gp Bottas declared unfit to race in Australian GP Williams Grand Prix Engineering Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited 15 March 2015 16 March 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150316145026/http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/bottas-declared-unfit-to-race-in-australian-gp 16 March 2015 all cars behind him moved up one place to close the gap. Championship standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Position Driver Points 1 GBR Lewis Hamilton 25 2 GER Nico Rosberg 18 3 GER Sebastian Vettel 15 4 BRA Felipe Massa 12 5 BRA Felipe Nasr 10Source:https://www.statsf1.com/en/2015/australie/championnat.aspx Australia 2015 – Championship StatsF1 7 March 2019 4 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230104191659/https://www.statsf1.com/en/2015/australie/championnat.aspx live Constructors' Championship standings Pos. Position Constructor Points 1 DEU Mercedes 43 2 ITA Ferrari 15 3 CHE Sauber-Ferrari 14 4 GBR Williams-Mercedes 12 5 AUT Red Bull Racing-Renault 8Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. References 30em External links http://www.grandprix.com.au/index.php Australian Grand Prix 2015 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix 2014 Australian Grand Prix 2016 Australian Grand Prix Australian Category:Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Category:Motorsport at Albert Park