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2018 Australian Grand Prix

(Redirected from Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix)

The 2018 Australian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix)[3] was a Formula One motor race held on 25 March 2018 in Melbourne, Victoria. The race was contested at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and was the first round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship.[4] The race marked the 83rd race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix – which dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928 – and the 23rd time the event was held at the Albert Park circuit.

2018 Australian Grand Prix
Race 1 of 21 in the 2018 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Layout of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Race details
Date 25 March 2018
Official name Formula 1 2018 Rolex 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 58 laps, 307.574 km (191.118 miles)
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver
Mercedes
Time 1:21.164
Fastest lap
Driver Australia Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer
Time 1:25.945 on lap 54
Podium
First
Ferrari
Second
Mercedes
Third
Ferrari
Lap leaders

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was the defending race winner.[5] Lewis Hamilton started the race from pole – his seventh pole position in Australia,[6] a record for the event – while Vettel successfully defended his race win, the 48th of his career and stood on the podium for the 100th time.[5][7] It was the Grand Prix debut of future race winner Charles Leclerc, who drove for Sauber. The race was also the first race since the official introduction of the halo cockpit safety device.

Report

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Background

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The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (pictured in 2014), where the race was held.

The Australian Grand Prix was officially confirmed as the first of 21 races of the 2018 Formula One World Championship in an FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris in December 2017.[8] It took place at the 15-turn 5.303 km (3.295 mi) Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria on 25 March 2018.[9] Tyre supplier Pirelli brought three types of tyre to the Grand Prix: three dry compounds (the purple-banded ultrasoft "option", the red-banded supersoft and the yellow-banded soft "prime" tyres).[10] In the week before the Grand Prix, race officials confirmed the inclusion of a third drag reduction system (DRS) zone. The detection point for the third zone was positioned on the approach to the turns 11 and 12 chicane with the activation point on the exit to turn 12. The existing DRS zones were unchanged from previous years, with one positioned on the main straight and the second on the straight between turns two and three.[11]

The race marked the competitive début of the "halo" cockpit protection device after 18 months of rigorous testing. The wishbone-shaped frame mounted above and around the driver's head was developed following a series of major accidents in open wheel racing, such as the death of Henry Surtees in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch in 2009 and Felipe Massa sustaining a head injury from being struck in the helmet by a detached coil spring from Rubens Barrichello's car at the Hungaroring six days later.[12] In response to concerns about the halo impairing drivers' visibility, the world governing body of motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), lowered the starting gantries at circuits to improve the starting lights visibility. Furthermore, drivers were permitted to execute practice standing starts after the conclusion of both Friday practice sessions to acquaint themselves with the lowered gantries.[13]

 
 
Charles Leclerc (left) and Sergey Sirotkin (right) made their Formula One debuts with Sauber and Williams respectively.

Out of the 10 teams and 20 drivers on the starting grid, two drivers made their debut. Charles Leclerc, the reigning Formula 2 champion and 2016 GP3 Series title winner, made his competitive début with Sauber. Leclerc, who had previously driven in Friday practice sessions in 2016 and 2017, was hired by the team to replace Pascal Wehrlein,[14] who could not find a race seat and was instead enlisted as one of Mercedes's test and reserve drivers while racing full-time in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series.[15] Massa retired from Formula One at the conclusion of the 2017 championship, and was replaced at Williams by former Renault test driver and SMP Racing driver Sergey Sirotkin, who made his competitive début with the team.[16] Elsewhere, Toro Rosso employed 2016 GP2 Series champion Pierre Gasly and two-time World Endurance co-champion Brendon Hartley as their full-time drivers for 2018 after the pair debuted with the squad in the latter stages of the 2017 championship.[17]

At the front of the field, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in the Mercedes and Ferrari cars respectively were the favourites to battle for the Drivers' Championship, with both drivers having the opportunity to equal Juan Manuel Fangio in number of championships with five.[18][19] Hamilton said he had not mulled about the prospects of equalling Fangio during the winter hiatus but the potential of doing so excited him,[20] "In my mind I want to break barriers, push the envelope and see how far I can take the ability I have and reach my full potential. I don’t know what that is, so that’s what I’m discovering. I hope that I haven’t reached my peak yet. I’m sure there is one, when your fitness level is harder to reach or your interest or drive starts to decline, but I’m definitely not there. I’m in a good range right now and aim to continue to extract the most that I can."[18] However, Vettel stated he was unconcerned with it as he anticipated the events of the upcoming season and not those in the far future, "That’s a long way ahead, and we all know how many things need to come together to fight for the championship to the end of the season, and to win it. Times are also very different to when Fangio achieved his five titles, and every era has its different challenges. So it’s not in my mind now, let’s say."[18]

Practice

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Per the regulations for the 2018 season, three practice sessions were held, two 90-minute sessions on Friday and another 60-minute session before qualifying on Saturday.[21] The first practice session took place in sunny weather conditions.[22] On the supersoft compound tyres, Hamilton set the fastest time in the opening practice session with a 1-minute and 24.026 seconds lap, followed by his teammate Valtteri Bottas who was 0.551 seconds slower in second place and Max Verstappen of Red Bull was third. The Ferrari duo of Kimi Räikkönen and Vettel were fourth and fifth with Daniel Ricciardo sixth in the second Red Bull car. Haas' Romain Grosjean, Fernando Alonso of McLaren (who remained in the garage for first practice's first hour with an exhaust problem), Carlos Sainz Jr. for Renault and Alonso's teammate Stoffel Vandoorne (who had driveability issues) rounded out the session's top ten drivers.[23] Though the session passed without any major incidents, Vettel and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen both ran into the grass beside the track surface.[22][24]

In the second practice session, Verstappen was the early pace setter after ten minutes and held the top position until Bottas beat his time. Hamilton went to the top of the time sheets soon after until Räikkönen moved ahead of him 35 minutes into the session. Hamilton later switched onto the ultrasoft compound tyres and then recorded the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1 minute and 23.931 seconds, which was not bettered for the remainder of practice as drivers conducted qualifying simulations and then driving on track for a long period of time. Verstappen, Bottas, Räikkönen, Vettel, Grosjean, Ricciardo, Alonso, Magnussen and Vandoorne followed in positions two through ten.[25] Early in the session, Esteban Ocon lost control of his Force India and ran into the turn three gravel trap but he rejoined without trouble.[26] Räikkönen was slow in turn three as Bottas approached him. He steered to the middle and Bottas swerved to the outside under braking due to a miscommunication that sent him into the gravel trap.[27] The session was stopped for five minutes when a timing cable wire detached and fell onto the start/finish straight and was picked up by track marshals quickly.[25][26][28]

After the second practice session, Ricciardo incurred a three-place grid penalty and two super licence penalty points from the stewards for not staying above the minimum time as established in the FIA's electronic control unit under red flag conditions.[29] They also concluded that Räikkönen had not "unnecessarily impeded" Bottas and was not penalised.[27] Thunderstorms on Saturday morning saturated the track and made it slippery to drive on. Wet-weather tyres were used for the majority of the session before it dried sufficiently enough to warrant the use of dry tyre compounds. Vettel set the fastest lap at 1 minute and 26.067 seconds with his teammate Räikkönen in second. Sauber's Marcus Ericsson was third, ahead of Verstappen, Sainz and Ricciardo. The Mercedes of Bottas and Hamilton along with the McLarens of Vandoorne and Alonso completed the top ten ahead of qualifying.[30] During the session, in which Verstappen and Nico Hülkenberg of Renault slithered exiting turn ten, the steering wheel on Hamilton's car was replaced in the pit lane when it developed a technical fault,[31] and owing to a lack of spare car parts, Force India chose not to set any timed laps during the one-hour period.[32]

Qualifying

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Lewis Hamilton had the 73rd pole position of his career

Saturday afternoon's qualifying session was divided into three parts. The first part ran for 18 minutes, eliminating cars that finished 16th or below. The 107% rule was in effect during this part, requiring drivers to set a time within 107% of the fastest lap in order to qualify. The second part lasted 15 minutes, eliminating cars that finished 11th to 15th, before the third and final part that ran for 12 minutes and determined pole position to tenth.[21] In the first part of qualifying (Q1), track conditions improved greatly as drivers settled into undertaking long-distance runs to acquaint themselves with the evolving conditions.[33] Hamilton led the session with a lap of 1 minute and 22.824 seconds that he recorded on his second attempt, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Räikkönen and Vettel. The Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo were fourth and fifth.[34] The five drivers who were eliminated from qualifying in Q1 were Hartley, the Saubers of Ericsson and Leclerc, Sirotkin,[33] and Gasly after he made a driving error and ran into the turn three gravel trap after he locked his tyres.[35]

To commence the second qualifying session (Q2), Red Bull elected to send their drivers out on the supersoft compound tyres rather than the ultrasoft compound tyres and this determined which type of tyre the team would start the race on.[33] Räikkönen was the early pace setter after all competitors set their first timed laps but it was Hamilton who improved his effort and lowered his own pole position lap time from the previous year. But it was Vettel in the second Ferrari who was the first driver to set a lap time below the 1 minute and 22 seconds mark all weekend with a 1-minute and 21.944 seconds effort.[34] Alonso and Vandoorne in the two McLarens were eliminated from contending for pole position when both Haas and Renault drivers bettered their personal best laps despite the latter team's drivers locking their tyres. Sergio Pérez for Force India, Williams' Lance Stroll (who went off the track at the third corner) and Ocon were the final three drivers not to progress into the final qualifying session (Q3).[33][34]

As he began his first timed lap in Q3,[34] Bottas took too much kerb on the exit to the first turn,[33] which was damp from the earlier rain, causing him to run wide, and he spun from having excessive wheelspin into the right-hand side barrier at turn two, and crashed heavily in an impact measured at 27 g.[36] His car spun ending up in the middle of the track with debris littered across it. The session was temporarily stopped to repair the barriers and clean up the debris.[37] When Q3 restarted, Hamilton paced the field but his first lap was slower than in Q2, possibly because of fluid deposited by his teammate Bottas between turns one and two. He then improved his lap to a circuit-record 1 minute and 21.164 seconds to clinch pole position.[33] It was his fifth consecutive pole position at the track, his seventh overall in Melbourne to move past Ayrton Senna in the number of pole positions in Australia, and the 73rd of his career.[38] He was joined on the grid's front row by Räikkönen who recorded a lap 0.664 seconds slower and his teammate Vettel was third after a driving error at turn 13. Verstappen qualified in the fourth position.[33]

Post-qualifying

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Following his crash that brought Q3 to a stop, Bottas was transported to the circuit's medical centre for a precautionary check-up and he was declared fit to race. However, he was handed a five-place grid penalty because Mercedes discovered his car's gearbox was damaged in the crash.[36] The grid lined up after penalties as Hamilton, Räikkönen, Vettel, Verstappen, Magnussen, Grosjean, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, Sainz, Alonso, Vandoorne, Pérez, Stroll, Ocon, Bottas, Hartley, Ericsson, Leclerc, Sirotkin and Gasly.[33]

Race

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Before the race, a tribute was paid to the late former Australian Grand Prix promoter Ron Walker by officially naming the Albert Park circuit's main straight the Walker Straight.[39]

After the start the top three stayed in the same order they started while Verstappen lost a place to Magnussen at the start. Sergey Sirotkin was the first retirement of the race when on lap 4 he retired due to a brake failure caused by overheating. On lap 9, Verstappen spun at turn one while chasing Magnussen and dropped down to eighth. Hamilton led Räikkönen, Vettel, Magnussen, Grosjean, Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Verstappen, Sainz and Alonso. They stayed in that order until the first round of pit stops. On lap 18 Räikkönen pitted for softs. On lap 19 Hamilton pitted for softs to cover Räikkönen and emerged on track ahead of him. Verstappen pitted on lap 20. Magnussen pitted at the end of lap 21, but retired the next lap due to the cross-threaded wheel-nut being fitted loosely. On lap 24, Grosjean retired at turn 2 from seventh after pitting with the same problem as his teammate Magnussen resulting in a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) being called out. On lap 26 Vettel pitted under the VSC and emerged ahead of Hamilton and Räikkönen. Mercedes miscalculated the required gap between Vettel and Hamilton to prevent a jump under the safety car before Vettel's pit stop due to a software glitch. After the first round of pit stops Vettel led with Hamilton second and Räikkönen in third. Alonso pitted under the VSC to emerge ahead of Verstappen. On lap 27 the full-course Safety Car was called out. The safety car came in at the end of lap 31. This left the top ten Vettel, Hamilton, Räikkönen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Verstappen, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Vandoorne and Sainz. None of the top ten pitted again. Ricciardo hounded Räikkönen for the rest of the race, setting the fastest lap in the process. Alonso resisted the pressure from Verstappen while holding on to fifth place. Vettel took the chequered flag to win the Australian Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, followed by Hamilton and Räikkönen rounding the podium. Ricciardo, Alonso, Verstappen, Hülkenberg, Bottas, Vandoorne and Sainz in that order completed the top ten, with Renault scoring their first double-points-finish since the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix. Ricciardo's 4th-placed finish marked his joint best finish at Albert Park, but also the joint best finish for an Australian at the Australian Grand Prix, equalling his 2016 result, and Mark Webber's 4th place in 2012.

After the race, Haas was fined €10,000 by the FIA for sending both of its drivers back to the track without the tyres properly attached to the car.[40]

Classification

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Qualifying

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Pos. Car
no. 		Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:22.824 1:22.051 1:21.164 1
2 7   Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:23.096 1:22.507 1:21.828 2
3 5   Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:23.348 1:21.944 1:21.838 3
4 33   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 1:23.483 1:22.416 1:21.879 4
5 3   Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 1:23.494 1:22.897 1:22.152 81
6 20   Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1:23.909 1:23.300 1:23.187 5
7 8   Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 1:23.671 1:23.468 1:23.339 6
8 27   Nico Hülkenberg Renault 1:23.782 1:23.544 1:23.532 7
9 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 1:23.529 1:23.061 1:23.577 9
10 77   Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:23.686 1:22.089 No time 152
11 14   Fernando Alonso McLaren-Renault 1:23.597 1:23.692 N/A 10
12 2   Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren-Renault 1:24.073 1:23.853 N/A 11
13 11   Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 1:24.344 1:24.005 N/A 12
14 18   Lance Stroll Williams-Mercedes 1:24.464 1:24.230 N/A 13
15 31   Esteban Ocon Force India-Mercedes 1:24.503 1:24.786 N/A 14
16 28   Brendon Hartley Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda 1:24.532 N/A N/A 16
17 9   Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.556 N/A N/A 17
18 16   Charles Leclerc Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.636 N/A N/A 18
19 35   Sergey Sirotkin Williams-Mercedes 1:24.922 N/A N/A 19
20 10   Pierre Gasly Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda 1:25.295 N/A N/A 20
107% time: 1:28.621
Source:[6]
Notes
  • ^1  – Daniel Ricciardo received a three-place grid penalty for failing to adequately slow down for a red flag during free practice.[29]
  • ^2  – Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.[36]

Race

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Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5   Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 58 1:29:33.283 3 25
2 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 58 +5.036 1 18
3 7   Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 58 +6.309 2 15
4 3   Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 58 +7.069 8 12
5 14   Fernando Alonso McLaren-Renault 58 +27.886 10 10
6 33   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer 58 +28.945 4 8
7 27   Nico Hülkenberg Renault 58 +32.671 7 6
8 77   Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 58 +34.339 15 4
9 2   Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren-Renault 58 +34.921 11 2
10 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Renault 58 +45.722 9 1
11 11   Sergio Pérez Force India-Mercedes 58 +46.817 12
12 31   Esteban Ocon Force India-Mercedes 58 +1:00.278 14
13 16   Charles Leclerc Sauber-Ferrari 58 +1:15.759 18
14 18   Lance Stroll Williams-Mercedes 58 +1:18.288 13
15 28   Brendon Hartley Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda 57 +1 lap 16
Ret 8   Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 24 Wheel 6
Ret 20   Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 22 Wheel 5
Ret 10   Pierre Gasly Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda 13 Engine 20
Ret 9   Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 5 Hydraulics 17
Ret 35   Sergey Sirotkin Williams-Mercedes 4 Brakes 19
Source:[41]

Championship standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "2018 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Malcolm. "Albert Park – The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". Progcovers.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Australia". Formula1.com. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  4. ^ "FIA announces World Motor Sport Council decisions". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 6 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b "2017 Australian Grand Prix Race – Provisional Classification". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 26 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Sebastian Vettel - Podiums". StatsF1. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  8. ^ Morlidge, Matt (8 December 2017). "F1 in 2018: FIA confirm 21-race calendar featuring triple header". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  9. ^ Michaels, Jake (22 March 2018). "Australian Grand Prix: Does F1 finally have a three-way battle?". ESPN. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  10. ^ Howard, Tom (14 March 2018). "Pirelli reveals tyre selections for Australian Grand Prix". Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  11. ^ Cooper, Adam (21 March 2018). "FIA adds third DRS zone for 2018 F1 season opener". motorsport.com. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  12. ^ Parkes, Ian (22 March 2018). "At the Australian Grand Prix, a New Era of Protecting Drivers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Formula 1: Position of F1 start lights altered to compensate for halo". The Malta Independent. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  14. ^ Collantine, Keith (2 December 2017). "Leclerc secures Sauber drive alongside Ericsson for 2018". RaceFans. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  15. ^ Baldwin, Alan (22 February 2018). Sarkar, Pritha (ed.). "Russell and Wehrlein named as Mercedes reserves". Reuters. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  16. ^ Contractor, Sameer (17 January 2018). "F1 2018: Sergey Sirotkin Signs Up With Williams F1; Kubica Signed As Reserve Driver". NDTV. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Toro Rosso confirm Gasly and Hartley for 2018". Formula1.com. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  18. ^ a b c Tremayne, David (22 March 2018). "F1 2018 preview: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel, the rebirth of McLaren, technical tweaks and a dark horse". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  19. ^ Benson, Andrew (20 March 2018). "Formula 1: Can Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes be stopped in 2018?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  20. ^ Errity, Stephen (22 March 2018). "Formula 1 2018: season preview". Auto Express. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Practice and qualifying". Formula1.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  22. ^ a b Galloway, James (23 March 2018). "Australian GP, Practice One: Lewis Hamilton sets searing early pace". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  23. ^ Mitchell, Scott (23 March 2018). "Formula 1: Hamilton fastest in Australian Grand Prix first practice". Autosport. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  24. ^ Benson, Andrew (23 March 2018). "Lewis Hamilton tops Australia first practice". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  25. ^ a b Mitchell, Scott (23 March 2018). "Australian Grand Prix: Hamilton leads Verstappen in practice". Autosport. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  26. ^ a b Becker, Florian (23 March 2016). "Formel 1, 2. Training: Mercedes weiter top, Vettel abgeschlagen". Motorsport Magazin (in German). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  27. ^ a b Murphy, Luke (23 March 2018). "No further action over Raikkonen/Bottas Incident". Formula Spy. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  28. ^ Michaels, Jake (23 March 2018). "Hamilton edges Verstappen as Red Bull closes gap in second practice". ESPN. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  29. ^ a b Howard, Tom (23 March 2018). "Stewards issue grid penalty to Ricciardo". Speedcafe. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  30. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (24 March 2018). "Australian Grand Prix practice: Vettel leads Ferrari one-two". Autosport. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  31. ^ "Australian GP, Practice Three: Sebastian Vettel fastest after heavy rain in Melbourne". Sky Sports. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  32. ^ Edmondson, Laurence (24 March 2018). "Sebastian Vettel quickest in wet-dry final Australian GP practice". ESPN. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h Collantine, Keith (24 March 2018). "Hamilton storms to pole as Bottas crashes". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  34. ^ a b c d Dale, Will (24 March 2018). "F1: Lewis Hamilton qualifies on pole position for the 2018 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  35. ^ "What the teams said – Qualifying in Melbourne". Formula1.com. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  36. ^ a b c Noble, Jonathan; Cooper, Adam (24 March 2018). "Bottas set for gearbox change penalty after crash". motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  37. ^ Benson, Andrew (24 March 2018). "Lewis Hamilton on pole in Australian Grand Prix as Valtteri Bottas crashes". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  38. ^ Richards, Giles (25 March 2018). "Lewis Hamilton's Australian F1 GP pole leaves Sebastian Vettel trailing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  39. ^ "Mr Grand Prix Ron Walker honoured at Albert Park". GrandPrix247.com. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  40. ^ "Cross-threaded wheel nuts caused Haas double DNF". Formula1.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  41. ^ "Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix – Race Result". Formula1.com. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  42. ^ a b "Australia 2018 – Championship". StatsF1. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
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