2010 Australian Grand Prix stats and facts
Vettel led Button until a wheel problem ended the Red Bull driver's race
After the Australian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel has led more laps in 2010 than all the other drivers put together. But unreliability has kept him from winning either of the races so far.
Read on for more stats and facts from round two of the 2010 F1 season.
Jenson Button scored his eighth career victory. He has now won as many races as 1967 champion Denny Hulme and Jacky Ickx.
It was also his second consecutive win in the Australian Grand Prix. The last person to win successive races in Melbourne was Michael Schumacher, who won in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
It was the tenth win in the Australian Grand Prix for McLaren. They first won the event with Alain Prost in 1986 at the Adelaide circuit.
Vettel started from the seventh pole position of his career, giving him the same number of first-place starts as Button as well as Jacques Laffite.
It was the first one-two start for Red Bull – but the end result of a ninth place and a DNF will have been a huge disappointment.
Fastest lap went to Mark Webber, making him the first Australian driver to set the fastest lap in his home event. But he was once again unable to improve on his best ever finish in the event, fifth place, which he first achieved with Minardi on his Grand Prix debut in 2002.
Robert Kubica reached the podium for the tenth time in his career and ended his recent run of bad luck in the Australian Grand Prix.
Karun Chandhok and HRT achieved their first race finish. The only team yet to get their car to finish a race in 2010 is Virgin. Timo Glock completed 41 laps in Melbourne, 11 short of being classified.
Ten drivers failed to finish the race, including Jarno Trulli who wasn’t even able to start it. That’s the most non-finishers since the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, when 14 drivers failed to reach the chequered flag.
Laps led in 2010
Sebastian Vettel has led more laps than all the other drivers put together but hasn’t won a race this year.
| Driver | Laps led |
| Sebastian Vettel | 56 |
| Jenson Button | 33 |
| Fernando Alonso | 16 |
| Mark Webber | 2 |
Podiums in 2010
Felipe Massa is the only driver to have finished on the podium in both races this year.
| Driver | Podiums |
| Felipe Massa | 2 |
| Fernando Alonso | 1 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 |
| Jenson Button | 1 |
| Robert Kubica | 1 |
Have you spotted any more interesting stats and facts from the Australian Grand Prix? Post them in the comments.
2010 Australian Grand Prix
- 2010 Australian Grand Prix – the complete F1 Fanatic review
- Australian GP team-by-team analysis
- 2010 Australian Grand Prix stats and facts
- Melbourne was a blast but F1′s aero problem remains (Australian GP analysis)
- Alonso fourth, Schumacher tenth in their battle from the back in Melbourne
- Australian Grand Prix fastest laps
- Australian Grand Prix in pictures
- Unreliability costs Vettel another win
- Hamilton fumes after strategy mistake
- Button wins thrilling Australian GP
Image (C) Bridgestone / Ercole Colombo
Andrew White said on 29th March 2010, 16:14
The six practice sessions so far have been topped by six drivers from six different teams: Sutil (Force India), Rosberg (Mercedes), Alonso (Ferrari), Kubica (Renault), Hamilton (McLaren), Webber (Red Bull.
Both races this year have been won from the second row: Alonso from 3rd and Button from 4th.
BBT said on 29th March 2010, 16:36
They will all be trying to Qualify 5th for the next race then :-)
bob said on 29th March 2010, 18:14
Only Vettel is going to get P1, but what will happen in race? :D
Terry Fabulous said on 29th March 2010, 22:34
Yes! Neil Crompton was talking about this on the track TV on Saturday and I was thinking, I have to get onto the Stats and Facts after the race and post it! Good spot mate.
MuzzleFlash said on 29th March 2010, 16:46
McLaren have won more Aussie GP’s than Ferrari (and anyone else) and British drivers have won half of them since 1994.
TrueF1Grit said on 29th March 2010, 17:12
Button is the first driver in its 26-year world championship history to win the Australian Grand Prix in consecutive years for two different teams: Brawn GP last season, McLaren this.
F1Fan said on 29th March 2010, 17:15
Here is another statistic:
1. Button, +3 places from race start
2. Kubica, +7
3. Massa, +2
4. Alonso, -1
5. Rosberg, +1
6. Hamilton, +5
7. Liuzzi, +6
8. Barrichello, 0 (even)
9. Webber, -7
Only Webber could have thrown away a certain podium finish. This is yet another example of this guy screwing a good thing mercilessly.
K said on 29th March 2010, 22:07
If Hamilton had hit Webber instead of the other way around there would have been an uproar but since it’s Webber on Hamilton no-one really cares.
F1NATIC said on 29th March 2010, 17:21
this is more of a failure of a stat. I think it was Schumis 250th start. every other 50th race Schumacher had celebrated with a win. But in this case he failed. Also its the second time Rosberg not only outqualifies him but finishes better than him. he better start shaking that rust off or he will totally damage his other hundreds of statistics.
ciaran said on 29th March 2010, 21:39
It wasn’t Schumis 250th start,it was his 251st.
Juha82 said on 29th March 2010, 17:24
Yeah, Vettel is facing same what Kimi with Mclaren. Reliability problems over and over again, which will cost him maybe WDC…what a pity…
bob said on 29th March 2010, 17:41
1) di Resta, who started in FP1, is Dario Franchitti’ cousin
2) Renault is first engine who has led more then 2000 laps in Australia GP
3) Top31 fastest laps were made by 3 drivers- Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton
4) Massa in Ferrari has now scored as much points as Hill in Williams
5) Alguersuari becomes 200th driver in F1 history, who hasnt lapped at least 2 Grand Prix.
6) First time 3 Spanish drivers finishes.
7) Felipe now has 30 podiums
Thats all from me :)
bob said on 29th March 2010, 19:11
8) This is Trulli’s 4th Did Not Started. All 4 were made by different teams- Minardi, Prost, Toyota (from pole), and now Lotus
bob said on 29th March 2010, 19:56
Keith why 8 ) together means smily? I didnt want to put smily, I want to put 8 )
Cacarella said on 29th March 2010, 20:25
Cool!!! Smiley with sunglasses??? 8)
bob said on 29th March 2010, 20:28
yeah :( I dont want it :D
Realist said on 29th March 2010, 18:42
So, nobody’s going to ask the most obvious question of the sunday? Why Button wasn’t punished for the first corner crash? Or Alonso? One of them should be held responsible.
VXR said on 29th March 2010, 18:54
Racing incident (IMO Alonso turned across Button). It’s the crappy mirrors that are to blame though, more than anything.
Rubens Barrichello said that all of the drivers had agreed to do something about the mirrors at a GPDA meeting in Oz – all except Lewis that is. Which, given his recent run-in with the ‘fuzz’, you would think that he would be a little more concerned about safety.
jabg said on 29th March 2010, 19:04
why? it was a racing incident even Ferrari said that during the race.
Realist said on 29th March 2010, 19:14
I’m sure the guys at Mercedes disagree.
Hyoko said on 29th March 2010, 20:45
I don’t think anybody should be punished, but I think it was Fernando’s fault. Of course I don’t mean he did that on purpose. Maybe he just didn’t see Button, or maybe he was unable to control his car.
BTW, I haven’t read every post but I am surprised that nobody seems to have pointed out a serious mistake of Fernando (or am I just wrong??). In the starting grid his left tyres were on top of a white paint line, and I think it ruined his grip at the start. If he had stopped his car just a couple of inches more to the inside of the track his start should have been much better.
Patrickl said on 29th March 2010, 21:41
Yeah I noticed that too.
When you listen to the clip of Alonso’s on-board footage from the start you can hear him struggling with the grip.
Forgot who posts those clips though *shame*
bob said on 29th March 2010, 19:16
If someone is interested, I published almoast all these facts (or im still publishing) in my twitter page http://www.twitter.com/f1latvija . If someone is interested, there are shorter and I tried to make them easier to understand
David A said on 29th March 2010, 19:49
Massa’s third straight podium, since he didn’t race in Hungary and the rest of 2009 sfter that.
david said on 29th March 2010, 20:02
Its the first wet race in Melbourne since it started in 1996, and the last was in 1991 in Adelaide, on that occaion Arton Senna won.
Hope im right :D
K said on 29th March 2010, 22:01
You are indeed.
Ben said on 29th March 2010, 20:41
Albert Park also has the distinction of being the only venue to hold the Australian Grand Prix in both World Championship and non-World Championship formats.
Prior to the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, a modified version of the current circuit was used for both the 1953 and 1956 Australian Grands Prix.
During this time Albert Park actually ran anti-clockwise as opposed to the current GP circuit which runs clockwise.
verstappen said on 29th March 2010, 20:44
I can’t remember an Australian GP without seeing the undersideplank of at least one car.
Am I right?
And, how far back does this go?
Enigma said on 29th March 2010, 22:02
In last 4 years the 2nd race was won by the current WDC 3 times. Alonso in Malaysia 2007, Raikkonen in Malaysia 2008, Button in Australia 2010.
Terry Fabulous said on 29th March 2010, 22:40
This is the first track that Jenson has won at Twice.
Single wins at Hungary, Bahrain, Malaysia, Monaco, Spain and Turkey.