F1 Driver Form: Australian Grand Prix

Verstappen won at Albert Park last year, Leclerc took a Grand Slam win in 2022, Hamilton has taken pole at eight Australian races and no driver holds a 100% Q3 appearance rate. Here’s everything you need to know about each driver’s history at the Australian Grand Prix!

🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN

Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the chaotic 2023 Australian Grand Prix, recording his first victory at Albert Park. It was his second podium finish at the circuit, having previously finished in third place in the 2019 race.

Verstappen has scored points on five of his seven appearances at the circuit. His other two races here resulted in DNFs, retiring on debut in 2015 and failing to finish with mechanical issues in 2022.

2015 is also the only time that the Dutchman has failed to out-qualify his team-mate in Melbourne. Verstappen has qualified in the top five at all of the last six Australian Grands Prix, securing his first front row at Albert Park in 2022 and his first pole position in 2023. 2019 marked the first time that Verstappen finished in a better position than where he started from at Albert Park.

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇲🇽 Sergio PEREZ

Sergio Perez finished in the points on debut at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, but he was disqualified for having an illegal rear wing. Perez has finished all 11 races he has entered at the track, finishing in the points six times.

Perez finished on the podium as runner-up in the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, marking his first top three finish at the venue and his first points at the track since 2017. He had never previously finished in the top six. He recorded another top five result with fifth place in 2023, despite starting from the pit lane.

2019 marked Perez’s first Q3 appearance at the Australian Grand Prix after eight consecutive Q2 eliminations. He recorded his best qualifying result at the track to date in 2022, lining up third on the grid and recorded his worst qualifying result to date – and his first Q1 exit at the track – after failing to set a time in qualifying for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

2022 was the first time since 2015 that Perez failed to out-qualify his team-mate at Albert Park. 2016 and 2019 are the only occasions that Perez has finished in a worse position than where he started.

SERGIO PEREZ’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton took pole position at every single Australian Grand Prix between 2014 and 2019, but won the event only once in that time, in 2015. He retired in 2014 and finished as runner-up in every Australian Grand Prix from 2016 to 2019. His fourth place in 2022 marked the first time he did not finish on the podium at Albert Park since 2014. He returned to the runner-up spot for the fifth time in the last six Australian Grands Prix in 2023.

Hamilton has had four further podium finishes at the track, including a win in 2008, and third place on debut in 2007. 2014 is the only occasion that Hamilton has retired in Australia, though he was also disqualified in 2009 after he and the McLaren team were found to have been lying to race stewards.

2009 and 2010 are the only seasons that Hamilton has failed to reach Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix, while 2007, 2010 and 2023 are the only times that he has been out-qualified by a team-mate at Albert Park.

In 2022, Hamilton finished fourth having started fifth. It was the first time he started the Australian Grand Prix from outside of the top three grid slots since 2010 and the first time since then that he finished the race in a better position than where he had started. He gained one position from his starting spot again in 2023.

LEWIS HAMILTON’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 George RUSSELL

On his second appearance at Albert Park in 2022, George Russell picked up his first points at the track with a podium finish. On his F1 debut three years previously, Russell out-qualified his team-mate and lined up 19th on the grid in the uncompetitive Williams. He gained three positions in the race, thanks to three drivers retiring, and finished 16th, ahead of his team-mate.

Russell again finished ahead of his team-mate in 2022, but failed to out-qualify him. Nevertheless, he reached Q3, qualifying in sixth place. He again gained three positions from where he started in the Grand Prix.

Russell qualified on the front row at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, lining up ahead of his Mercedes team-mate. He failed to add to his points tally at the track, pulling off on the main straight and retiring with an expired engine at the start of the 18^th lap.

GEORGE RUSSELL’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC

Charles Leclerc recorded a Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, winning the race from pole position, setting the fastest lap and leading every lap on his way to victory. He had picked up points in Australia for the first time in 2019, on his Ferrari debut, where he finished fifth.

Leclerc recorded his first DNF at the Australian Grand Prix in 2023. He had qualified in seventh place – his worst qualifying result at the track since his debut. 2022 is the only year in which he has out-qualified his team-mate here.

In 2018, on his Formula 1 debut with Sauber, he finished in 13^th. That’s the only year in which Leclerc has been eliminated in Q1 at the track, qualifying 18^th.

CHARLES LECLERC’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ

Carlos Sainz has not had much luck in recent years at the Australian Grand Prix. He retired in both 2019 and 2022. Becoming the first retirement of the season, 2019 was the first time Sainz failed to score at Albert Park. He spun out into the gravel in the early stages in 2022. In 2023, he crossed the finish line fourth but dropped to 12^th in the final order after picking up a time penalty for causing a collision.

Though he has never finished above eighth at the circuit, with his best finish coming in 2017, Sainz scored on all of his first four visits to the track.

Sainz has reached Q3 on six of his seven visits to Albert Park, the exception being a Q1 exit in 2019. His best grid position at the track is fifth, which is where he started from in 2023. He’s yet to gain a position from where he has started in any race at this track.

CARLOS SAINZ’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS

Lando Norris scored at the Australian Grand Prix for the first time in 2022 with a fifth place finish. His previous appearance here was on his Formula 1 debut, in 2019, where he finished 12^th. He scored more points at Albert Park in 2023, this time finishing sixth.

2023 was the first time that Norris did not reach Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix. His best qualifying result here is fourth, recorded in 2022. He’s yet to be out-qualified by a team-mate at the track. Norris gained seven positions from where he started at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. It was the first time he gained places in a race at Albert Park.

LANDO NORRIS’ AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI

On his maiden home race appearance at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri scored the first points of his Formula 1 career with an eighth place finish. He became the third Australian driver, after Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo, to start his home event in Melbourne since the circuit joined the calendar in 1996. Piastri scored points despite being eliminated in Q1 and qualifying 16^th.

OSCAR PIASTRI’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO

Fernando Alonso finished in the top five in every Australian Grand Prix between 2004 and 2014, winning the 2006 race and recording a further four podium finishes. Until 2016, Alonso held a 100% finish rate at the Australian Grand Prix – but he has since recorded two retirements here.

After skipping the 2015 race due to injury, Alonso suffered a heavy crash in the 2016 event after colliding with the rear of Esteban Gutierrez’s Haas. In 2017, the Spaniard retired just seven laps from the end with a broken floor. Aside from his DNFs, there are only two other Albert Park races in which he has failed to score: his F1 debut here in 2001 and 2022, where he finished 17^th.

Alonso returned to the Australian Grand Prix podium in 2023 for the first time in a decade, finishing in third place with Aston Martin. He has not led a lap at the circuit since 2013.

Alonso has never taken pole at Albert Park, with a best qualifying result of second on his McLaren debut in 2007. In his last 13 races at the track, he has been out-qualified only twice – by Felipe Massa in 2013 and by Esteban Ocon in 2022. 2022 marked the first time Alonso reached Q3 here since 2014. He qualified fourth in 2023 – his best qualifying result in Australia since 2010.

FERNANDO ALONSO’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇦 Lance STROLL

On his third appearance at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019, Lance Stroll picked up his first points at the circuit. On his Racing Point debut, Stroll finished in ninth place. It followed a DNF at the track in 2017 and a 14^th place finish in 2018. He finished 12^th in 2022 before recording his best result to date at the circuit in 2023 with fourth place.

2018 is the only season in which Stroll has out-qualified a team-mate at the circuit, as well as one of only two times that he has not been eliminated in Q1 at Albert Park. He finally reached Q3 at the track for the first time in 2023, qualifying in sixth position. He failed to set a qualifying time in 2022 after a collision in Q1 with fellow Canadian Nicholas Latifi.

LANCE STROLL’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Esteban OCON

From his four previous Australian Grand Prix appearances, Esteban Ocon has scored points twice. He finished tenth on his first appearance here in 2017, marking the first points-scoring race of his career. He bettered that with seventh place in 2022.

Of his other two appearances at Albert Park, Ocon finished only 12^th in 2018 and retired as a result of a collision with his team-mate in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

Ocon reached Q3 at Albert Park for the first time in 2022, having been eliminated in Q2 on both previous appearances. He recorded another Q2 exit in 2023. His eighth place in qualifying for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix marked the first time he out-qualified a team-mate at Albert Park.

The Frenchman has gained at least one position from where he started on all three of his previous Australian Grand Prix finishes.

ESTEBAN OCON’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY

On his third Australian Grand Prix appearance in 2022, Pierre Gasly scored points at Albert Park for the first time with a ninth place finish. He failed to finish the first time he raced here in 2018 and finished 11^th on his Red Bull debut in 2019. In 2023, he recorded another retirement at the track in a race-ending collision with his team-mate.

Gasly reached Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix for the first time in 2023, qualifying ninth. 2022 is the only other time that he has made it out of Q1 in Melbourne. He has out-qualified his team-mate at the track in each of the last two seasons.

PIERRE GASLY’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇹🇭 Alex ALBON

Alex Albon made his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. He finished 14th in the race having qualified 13th. Albon out-qualified his team-mate at Albert Park, but failed to finish ahead of him in the race.

In 2022, Albon picked up his first point at Albert Park with a tenth place finish. Aided by an effective alternate strategy, Albon gained ten positions from where he started – the back of the grid, after being disqualified from qualifying due to being unable to provide a fuel sample after the session.

Albon was on course to score again at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix and was running in sixth place when he crashed out, bringing out the red flags. He had reached Q3 for the first time at Albert Park, qualifying eighth and continuing his record of having never been out-qualified by a team-mate in Melbourne.

ALEX ALBON’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇺🇸 Logan SARGEANT

Logan Sargeant qualified 18^th, ten places behind his team-mate, on his maiden Australian Grand Prix appearance in 2023. He failed to finish the race after a collision with fellow rookie Nyck de Vries at the race’s third restart.

LOGAN SARGEANT’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA

Yuki Tsunoda finished 15^th on his first Australian Grand Prix appearance in 2022. He qualified 13^th for the race and lost two positions. He was out-qualified by AlphaTauri team-mate Pierre Gasly.

Tsunoda out-qualified team-mate Nyck de Vries at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix and gained positions in the race to score his first point at Albert Park with a tenth place finish.

YUKI TSUNODA’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Daniel RICCIARDO

Daniel Ricciardo finished on the podium on his Red Bull debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. That would be his best result to date at Albert Park, had he not been disqualified for a fuel flow infringement after the race. Instead, Ricciardo’s best result here in fourth place, recorded in both 2016 and 2018.

Every time he has crossed the finish line in Melbourne, Ricciardo has done so in a points-paying position. He has three non-finishes here: in 2013, 2017 and 2019; the latter being his Renault debut in which he was forced to retire before the first corner.

Ricciardo has never been eliminated in Q1 at Albert Park, with 2013 and 2019 being the only times that he has failed to qualify in the top ten. His best qualifying result here came in 2014, when he lined up on the front row of the grid. It’s the only time he has lined up in the top five on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo has not out-qualified his team-mate in Melbourne since 2016. Of races he’s finished here, he is yet to finish in a worse position than where he has started.

DANIEL RICCIARDO’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇮 Valtteri BOTTAS

Valtteri Bottas won the Australian Grand Prix for the first time in 2019. He had previously finished on the podium here once, with a third place finish on his Mercedes debut in 2017. He has scored on all but three appearances at Albert Park. He finished 14^th in his first ever F1 race in 2013, he failed to start in 2015 after injuring his back in qualifying and he finished 11^th in 2023.

Bottas started from the front row at the circuit for the first time in 2019. He has reached Q3 five times in total at the track, including in 2018 when he crashed in the session and was able to start only 15^th. He recorded his first Q1 exit at Albert Park last year.

2013 and 2022 are the only seasons in which Bottas has out-qualified a team-mate at the Australian Grand Prix. He has never finished the event in a worse position than where he started it; 2017 is the only season that he has finished where he started.

VALTTERI BOTTAS’ AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇳 ZHOU Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu narrowly missed out on points on his first Australian Grand Prix appearance in 2022, coming home in 11^th place. He reached Q2 on Saturday, qualifying in 14^th place.

Zhou out-qualified his team-mate in 2023 but was out in Q1, setting the 17^th fastest time. In the incident-strewn race, Zhou was able to stay out of trouble and picked up points at Albert Park for the first time, finishing ninth.

ZHOU GUANYU’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇰 Kevin MAGNUSSEN

Kevin Magnussen made his Formula 1 debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, where he scored a podium finish with McLaren. 2019 marked the first time that the Danish driver scored at the circuit since then, finishing in sixth place.

He failed to start the race in 2015 when deputising for the injured Fernando Alonso and failed to finish in both 2017 and 2018 with Haas. He caused a red flag with his race-ending crash at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix; his fourth non-finish in total at the track. His only other finishes here are 12^th place for Renault in 2016 and 14^th for Haas in 2022.

Magnussen has reached Q3 three times at the Australian Grand Prix appearances but his best qualifying result here remains his fourth place on debut in 2014. In 2022, he recorded his third Q1 elimination at the track. Magnussen has gained at least one position from where he has started each time he has finished the race.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG

Nico Hulkenberg returned to Albert Park in 2023 having last raced here in 2019. In four of his previous five Australian Grand Prix appearances, Hulkenberg finished in seventh place. He did so once again in 2023, recording his best result of the 2023 season and finishing seventh at Albert Park for the fifth time in his last six outings.

Hulkenberg’s best result here is sixth place, in 2016, but that is the only other time aside from his seventh places that he has scored at the circuit. Hulkenberg failed to finish on his first two Australian Grand Prix appearances in 2010 and 2012, before failing to even start in 2013.

The German has reached the final part of qualifying five times from his ten total appearances, with a best result of seventh in 2014. Hulkenberg has never been eliminated in Q1 at the track and has been out-qualified by his team-mate only twice – on his Albert Park debut in 2010 and in 2016.

Hulkenberg has never lost a position from where he started in any of his seven finishes at Albert Park.

NICO HULKENBERG’S AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY