Kimi Raikkonen’s 20th career victory ties him with Mika Hakkinen as the second most successful Finnish F1 driver of all time in terms of race victories.
Raikkonen began his F1 career in 2001, the year Hakkinen retired from the sport. He previously won the Australian Grand Prix in 2007, and on that occasion Fernando Alonso also finished second. However Sebastian Vettel, third in yesterday’s race, was still three months away from making his F1 debut.
Raikkonen won from seventh on the grid in car number seven. It was only the 21st time a race has been won from that position, yet Raikkonen has done it three times now.
He scored his maiden win from seventh in Malaysia in 2003, and did it again in Canada in 2005. The only other time it’s been done since then was also at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, by Jenson Button in 2011.
This was the first time a Lotus car had won the first race of a season since 1978. On that occasion Mario Andretti won the Argentinian Grand Prix in Buenos Aires in a Lotus 78, going on to win the drivers’ championship in the year Lotus won their last constructors’ title.
The identity of the team which won the opening round of the season has changed every year since 2006. And a different constructor has won each of the last five races:
Track | Winner | Team | |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Bahrain International Circuit | Fernando Alonso | Renault |
2007 | Albert Park | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari |
2008 | Albert Park | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren |
2009 | Albert Park | Jenson Button | Brawn |
2010 | Bahrain International Circuit | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari |
2011 | Albert Park | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull |
2012 | Albert Park | Jenson Button | McLaren |
2013 | Albert Park | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus |
Raikkonen also added the 38th fastest lap of his career, meaning he is now just three behind Alain Prost who has the second-highest count. And with his next one he’ll be past halfway to Michael Schumacher’s record tally of 77.
Sebastian Vettel achieved his 37th career pole position and for the second time in his career did so on Sunday. He did likewise at Suzuka in 2010, another occasion when qualifying was postponed to Sunday due to rain.
The only other time this happened was at Suzuka in 2004, when the circuit was closed on Saturday due to an approaching typhoon.
Speaking of 2004, that was the last time a field with less experience than this one lined up for a Grand Prix, as noted here earlier:
It was also the youngest field ever assembled for a Grand Prix, with an average age of 27 years and 61 days. The youngest was Esteban Gutierrez (21 years, 230 days) and Mark Webber is now the grid’s eldest driver, aged 36 years and 211 days yesterday.
Jenson Button never looked likely to score a fourth victory in Australia which would have put him level with Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in this race.
But his ninth place finish did move him past the milestone of 1,000 points, which only Schumacher, Alonso and Vettel have managed. It’s a rather meaningless tally, however – F1 has used three different points systems since Button’s career began and several more before that.
Raikkonen was joined on the podium by Alonso and Vettel, making this the 27th time in F1 history the podium was filled entirely by champions.
Only once in F1 history have more drivers led a race than the seven who took turns at the head of the field on Sunday. That was the famed 1971 Italian Grand Prix, which ended with five drivers crossing the line covered by 0.61s.
Here are the five races which featured seven or more leaders:
Race | Leaders | Drivers who led |
---|---|---|
1971 Italian Grand Prix | 8 | Clay Regazzoni, Ronnie Peterson, Jackie Stewart, Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood, Jo Siffert, Chris Amon, Peter Gethin |
1973 Canadian Grand Prix | 7 | Ronnie Peterson, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jackie Stewart, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Jacky Oliver, Peter Revson |
1975 British Grand Prix | 7 | Carlos Pace, Clay Regazzoni, Tom Pryce, Jody Scheckter, Jean-Pierre Jarier, James Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi |
2008 Canadian Grand Prix | 7 | Lewis Hamilton, Nick Heidfeld, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock, Robert Kubica, |
2013 Australian Grand Prix | 7 | Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Kimi Raikkonen |
Among yesterday’s leaders was Adrian Sutil, who led a race for the first time on his F1 comeback. This was the fourth race led by Force India, and the first time they have led two in a row.
On each occasion the race was led by a different driver: Giancarlo Fisichella (Spa 2009), Paul di Resta (Bahrain 2012) and Nico Hulkenberg (Interlagos 2012).
Hulkenberg’s first appearance for new team Sauber did not go well as he failed to make the start due to a fuel pressure problem. In three appearances at Albert Park he is yet to complete a racing lap, having been involved in first-lap collisions in 2010 and 2012.
Finally, five drivers made their debut in yesterday’s race, which was the most since the Bahrain Grand Prix three years ago. Hulkenberg made his first start in that race and is still part of the F1 field, but Vitaly Petrov, Lucas di Grassi, Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok have all been and gone.
Spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Australian Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
2013 Australian Grand Prix
Images © Bridgestone, Force India, BMW ag
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 16:25
This is what I noticed:
– The average age of the Australian GP was 27 years, 2 months and 20 days, meaning it’s the youngest starting field in history. Previously the record was held by the 1997 French GP, which was mainly due to the absence of Gerhard Berger and debuts of Fontana and Marques.
– Seven drivers qualified in the position of their start number: Vettel (1), Webber (2), Massa (4), Raikkonen (7), Grosjean (8) Hulkenberg (11) and Van der Garde (21).
– Kimi Raikkonen gave start number ‘7’ its 27th victory. The last driver to win with the number ‘7’ was Jarno Trulli at the 2004 Monaco GP.
– Fernando Alonso has already secured his streak of eleven consecutive years with at least one podium that started at the 2003 Malaysian GP, equalling Alain Prost. The record is held by Michael Schumacher with 15 consecutive podium years between 1992 and 2006. Mansell and Berger are in-between Schumacher and Alonso with 12 consecutive years.
– Australian drivers have had 90 podiums and 28 home Grands Prix, but yet again the Australian drivers failed to finish on the podium at the Australian GP, meaning they won’t be added to the list of 16 nations that have had a home driver on the podium during a GP that counted towards the world championship.
– The podium was a copy of last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, just three race ago. The last time identical podiums occurred that ‘shortly’ after each other was in 2010: VET WEB ALO occurred at the Brazilian GP just two races after the Japanese GP.
– Adrian Sutil led the first eleven laps of his Formula 1 career. The last time a driver, who hadn’t driven in F1 for at least a year, led a GP was in 2007: at the European GP, Markus Winkelhock led the race in his first (and only) GP. Sutil also scored his 100th point for Force India.
– On lap 13, Rosberg led the GP from Sutil and Vettel, which means that three Germans led the Grand Prix. I do not have the tools to figure this out, but does anybody know when was the last time something like this happened??
– Four French, British and German drivers started the race. For France, this was the highest number of entrants since the 1995 Pacific GP: Panis, Alesi, Gachot and Boullion. This is the first time in history that all three countries had at least four drivers starting the race!
– McLaren scored 2 points – not a great result, but it means they continue their record-breaking streak of 59 consecutive races in the points that started at the 2010 Bahrain GP. Two points was also their worst result since that 2010 Bahrain GP. For Button however it was enough to break the 1000-point barrier: he now has 1001 points.
– Amazing coincidence: for the third consecutive year, start numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14 and 15 have all picked up points in Melbourne!
– Pastor Maldonado retired for the 15th time in 40 Grands Prix. He now has the highest retirements percentage (37.5%) of all drivers on the grid, having passed Romain Grosjean (37.0%).
– Sergio Perez has finished 28 races. Of those, he finished 11th nine times without ever finishing 12th!
I missed this…
OmarR-Pepper (@)
18th March 2013, 16:31
Kimi Raikkonen gave start number ‘7’ its 27th victory. The last driver to win with the number ‘7’ was Jarno Trulli at the 2004 Monaco GP.
It was only the 21st time a race has been won from that position,
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 16:36
@omarr-pepper A start number is not the same a start place. :)
PhilEReid (@philereid)
18th March 2013, 16:40
I also missed your stats @andae23
the_sigman (@sigman1998)
18th March 2013, 16:42
Amazing @andae23!
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 16:54
@philereid @sigman1998 :D
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
18th March 2013, 16:51
@andae23 Great contributions as always but can I ask how you reached a figure of 27 years, 2 months and 20 days for the average age of the drivers? And how long is your ‘month’ given they can be 28, 29, 30 or 31 days long?
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 16:59
I kinda nicked it from another site to be honest – bloody Gregorian calender – I will calculate the number of days, be back with the results in a few minutes time.
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 17:16
Right: 10,426 days
NickF12013 (@nickf12013)
18th March 2013, 17:01
”- McLaren scored 2 points – not a great result, but it means they continue their record-breaking streak of 59 consecutive races in the points that started at the 2010 Bahrain GP. Two points was also their worst result since that 2010 Bahrain GP.”
– Actually their worst result during that period is just 1 point at the Korean GP last year.
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 17:20
O yeah, I forgot about that!
ak
18th March 2013, 17:43
1 point courtesy hamilton with a bush attached to his suspension :-:-P
EstF1 (@estf1)
18th March 2013, 20:00
It was actually a piece of astroturf attached to his floor.
ak
19th March 2013, 2:34
I know .. just kidding.
BenH (@benh)
19th March 2013, 7:47
It was actually Kermit ;)
synapseza (@synapseza)
18th March 2013, 17:34
@andae23
Awesome stats – thanks :)
Judging by McLaren’s performance on Sunday he might a few more…
synapseza (@synapseza)
18th March 2013, 17:44
…might *add* a few more…
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th March 2013, 18:14
Wow first the beautifully written article and now this. Maybe you could start a stats database.
sato113 (@sato113)
18th March 2013, 18:50
@andae23
i dont think that is right. the first eleven laps of his f1 career was at the aus gp in 2007 and he started 17th.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
18th March 2013, 20:29
@sato113 – I think it was meant as if to say he hadn’t led any up until the point at which he led 11 laps during the 2013 race, but I don’t know if he’s ever lead any before then so I can’t comment on it’s accuracy!
tmekt (@tmekt)
18th March 2013, 20:53
First laps in the leading position
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
18th March 2013, 21:29
@andae23 Wasn’t Gachot Belgian? Unless he changed his nationality…
andae23 (@andae23)
18th March 2013, 21:38
@wsrgo He’s a Frenchman who initially had a Belgian super licence. He changed it at some point, so in 1995 he was officially racing with the French nationality.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
18th March 2013, 22:10
@andae23 Yup, thanks for the info.
Michael Brown (@)
18th March 2013, 22:24
Adrian Sutil has now spent a lap in every position. Previously he had spent a lap in every position but 1st.
Joe Papp (@joepa)
19th March 2013, 16:04
I’m so happy for Sutil!
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
19th March 2013, 0:32
no doubt at the expense of the italians. when is the last time , if ever, the 4 countries had 3 or more drivers each?
OmarR-Pepper (@)
18th March 2013, 16:27
That means he is skilled to overcome “bad” qualifyings, and that was even more impressive in Suzuka 2005 from 17th place on the starting grid
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
18th March 2013, 18:08
7×3= 21
Kodongo (@kodongo)
18th March 2013, 16:29
Button has contested the most grands prix, Keith, but Mark Webber is the oldest having been born on 27 August 1976. He is currently 36.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
18th March 2013, 16:52
@kodongo I’ve changed it, thanks.
Kodongo (@kodongo)
18th March 2013, 17:08
No problem.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
18th March 2013, 16:40
Felipe Mass has now 68 consecutive race without winning since interlagos 2008
the_sigman (@sigman1998)
18th March 2013, 16:47
And that is a record for Ferrari. The previous record holder was Jean Alesi.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
18th March 2013, 16:51
67 races i think from 1991 to 1995
ak
18th March 2013, 17:58
:(
zippyone (@zippyone)
18th March 2013, 23:25
well we all know that shouldn’t be the case
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
19th March 2013, 7:03
Amen to that. A dark day in Ferrari history.
the_sigman (@sigman1998)
18th March 2013, 16:45
Hulkenberg has never completed more than 1 lap at Melbourne. He retired in the first lap in 2010 and 2012 and didn’t start this year.
the_sigman (@sigman1998)
18th March 2013, 16:46
Now I read it on the article.
Txizzle (@txizzle)
18th March 2013, 16:52
Another interesting stat: both Alonso and Webber are to move in to the ‘club of 200’ as I used to know it (back when I starting following F1 it was a remarkable thing to reach). :P
Nick.UK (@)
18th March 2013, 18:44
Stats like those are becoming less impressive with the calendar being much longer these days. It’s what I still maintain Mansel has the true record for most poles in a season 15 in 16 races I think, whereas Vettel did 15 in 19. Not so impressive (Still obviously a mamoth achievement though).
US_Peter (@us_peter)
18th March 2013, 19:22
Wikipedia shows percentages of things likes poles, wins, fastest laps, etc. which give a better idea of that sort of thing.
Girts (@girts)
18th March 2013, 16:53
Every driver on the podium has won the same number of world championships as his finishing position in the race.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
18th March 2013, 17:00
Raikkonenn 1st=1 WDC
Alonso 2nd=2 WDC
Vettel 3rd =3 WDC
So that means Massa will be a 4 time world champions
Txizzle (@txizzle)
18th March 2013, 17:02
Imagin how ridiculously succesful Vd Garde must be :P
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
18th March 2013, 17:03
+1000
OOliver
18th March 2013, 18:09
He did mention the podium
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
18th March 2013, 18:09
hahaha
Joe Papp (@joepa)
19th March 2013, 16:08
Why does Caterham suck so badly?
Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
19th March 2013, 13:12
When did this last happen? Before Brazil 2012, we had a triple WDC in Schumacher between Japan 2000 and Hungary 2001 – he did not finish third in this period. Before that, Senna?
I’d really like to know when this last occurred.
sjd1992
20th March 2013, 10:18
I don’t think it’s ever happened before, I looked it up the other day and couldn’t find a previous case of it happening.
Ciaran (@walsh-f1)
18th March 2013, 17:07
Yesterday’s race was Kimi Raikkonen’s 200th single seater open wheel car race. 23 of them were in junior categories and 177 in Formula 1.
Jonny C (@loomx92)
18th March 2013, 21:56
That’s a pretty impressive stat! I love how little single seat experience he had before starting F1 and yet how fantastically he did. Was such a catch for Sauber :)
q85
18th March 2013, 23:19
Many didnt want him to start the season due to lack of experience
Tom (@newdecade)
18th March 2013, 17:11
How can they be tied for second most successful in terms of wins? Surely they are tied for 1st.
ak
18th March 2013, 18:00
exactly i was thinking who was the better finn driver ! then realized it is a mistake
RAMBOII
18th March 2013, 18:08
Hakkinen drove less races, meaning Raikkonen will be second, I guess.
SatchelCharge (@satchelcharge)
18th March 2013, 19:02
+1 if they are tied on wins then Hakkinen has a better race win:race start ratio.
Gridl0k
18th March 2013, 18:08
Someone else is first..
Justin (@thejwooly)
18th March 2013, 18:13
I just checked and unless I blatantly missed something…..no, so it’s a mistype I assume.
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1)
18th March 2013, 18:48
Kimi and Mika are the two most successful. I believe the second most successful is Keke Rosberg, with 5 wins to his name.
Alexander (@)
19th March 2013, 15:07
Häkkinen is obviuosly more succsessful because of his two championships!
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
18th March 2013, 18:13
What a beautiful looking McLaren Hakkinen is driving there. They have really stopped making them like that. Those days they were driving beauty pageants, now they drive a duck billed platypus.
Was that a V12 engine back then?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th March 2013, 18:19
@aish That’s a Mclaren MP4/13 from 1998 running a 3.0 L Mercedes engine, everyone knows that.
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
18th March 2013, 18:27
@peartree: Everyone? Really? Wow F1 must be so popular where you live.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th March 2013, 19:05
Sorry I didn’t knew you weren’t a fan, I thought that your claims were firmly founded.
Chris (@orrc)
18th March 2013, 21:15
It was a V10.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
18th March 2013, 18:19
Fernando Alonso has been outqualified for his teammate for the third time in a row. This hasn’t occurred since 2007 I believe, where Lewis Hamilton outqualified him in the last 3 races that season.
Sebastian Vettel has an unusual record at Melbourne: RET, RET, RET, 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
Kimi Raikkonen has lead the world championship for the first time since Turkey 2008.
Pastor Maldonado was the only driver to retire in the race due to driver error.
This is the first time that Sauber failed to start one of their cars since Monaco 2011 after Perez’s crash.
Speaking of Perez, he has become the first McLaren driver since David Coulthard in 1996 to fail to score on his debut for the team.
Only 9 of the drivers who started the last race where 22 cars were entered took part in the previous one (2008 Spanish GP – RAI, MAS, HAM, WEB, BUT, ROS, ALO, SUT, VET)
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
18th March 2013, 18:41
should read ‘by his teammate’
Stephen Taylof
18th March 2013, 19:22
You’ve all forget to mention Raikkonen has not been on pole since the 2008 French GP
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
19th March 2013, 4:23
yes, and?
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
18th March 2013, 18:20
Not much, but every time Michael Schumacher retires, Kimi and Fernando finish 1st and 2nd at the next race.
In his 6 Australian GPs, Vettel has either finished on the podium or not finished the race (retired in 2008-10, on podium in 2011-13)
US_Peter (@us_peter)
18th March 2013, 19:27
Lol, Kimi should ask Schumacher to retire more often!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
18th March 2013, 21:37
@us_peter
Yeah, but that’d mean he has to come back after retiring everytime. And if it’s all repetitive, then Kimi would have to sit out of F1 2 years everytime Michael comes back xD
@HoHum (@hohum)
18th March 2013, 18:20
So we now have GP’s as interesting as the early 70’s, anyone know how many pit-stops were normal in those years?
Donald Anderson (@bigdon1281)
18th March 2013, 18:42
It was the first time a team’s drivers finish both first (win) and last in the points since the 2008 Monaco GP, where Hamilton won and Kovalainen finished 8th.
Anyway, great work with the stats. I had heaps but this was the only one which hasn’t already been mentioned!
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
18th March 2013, 18:55
5th fastest lap for Raikkonen in Australia – more than any other circuit.
Raikkonen has scored more points in Melbourne than any other venue (helped by having raced twice there under the current system).
First podium for Alonso in Australia since 2007 – he finished either 4th or 5th every year from 2008 to 2012.
6 different leaders in first 14 laps (and the race winner wasn’t one of them) – no idea if this is a record.
Button breaks McLaren’s win-then-no-score jinx.
On all occasions that 7+ drivers have led laps, the eventual race winner was the last to lead.
And some more thanks to http://www.magnetimarelli.com:
Last race to be won from 7th or lower without safety car – M Schumacher in USA 2003 (from 7th).
Last dry race to be won from 7th or lower without safety car – Raikkonen in Malaysia 2003 (from 7th); Malaysia 2003 is the earliest race to have been won by a driver still in F1.
First time Raikkonen leads the championship since Turkey 2008.
Shanghai and Spa are now the only current tracks on which Alonso has not scored a podium with Ferrari.
In the last 10 years Alonso has always finished the season opener in the top 5.
Both Raikkonen and Alonso have managed Melbourne podiums with 3 different teams (Ferrari, McLaren, the Enstone team).
First mechanical DNF for Rosberg since Japan 2010.
13 out of 18 Melbourne races have seen a team lock out the front row – on 4 of those occasions (1999, 2000, 2003, 2010), the team didn’t even manage a podium between them.
Txizzle (@txizzle)
18th March 2013, 20:27
Generally the winner is always the last one to lead, isn’t it?
You probably mean that in some races #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 regained the lead, only to hand it back to number 7?
Michael Brown (@)
18th March 2013, 22:38
In terms of different drivers, Raikkonen was the seventh different driver and went on to win. Usually the eventual winner leads initially before being passed in the pits, and then reclaims his place.
sato113 (@sato113)
18th March 2013, 22:52
excellent stat.
verstappen (@verstappen)
18th March 2013, 19:01
All 5 rookies finished the race!!
Zedd (@zedd)
18th March 2013, 19:26
Räikkönen leads the world championship after round one, the only other time he did that was in 2007 – the year he went on to become champion.
Stephen Taylof
18th March 2013, 19:27
Charles Pic set the slowest ever qualifying time at Albert Park
stu89
18th March 2013, 23:40
That honour actually belongs to takuma sato in 2002, he managed a 1.53 pics time was 1.50
Nin13 (@nin13)
18th March 2013, 19:51
I think last time qualifying was postponed to raceday was Japanese GP 2007 or 08 @ Fuji. It also happened during 2004 race.
q85
18th March 2013, 23:27
japan 2010 and 04
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
18th March 2013, 21:17
There were 53 pit-stops completed in this race for tyre changes, the most since the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix on 56 (discounting wet races) despite the fact that there were three fewer starters of this race. Pirelli’s more aggressive approach is obviously working then – whether it is to the benefit of the racing or not though is a matter of opinion!
MNM101 (@mnm101)
18th March 2013, 21:20
somewhat unrelated, i saw a post race interview with Ciaran Pilbeam( Mark Webber’s former engineer and now lotus head of strategy or something), and i noticed he really really resembles Adrian Newey, he looks like a young version of him and actually talks and has the same body language as him. any chance their related ? or is it just coincidence ?
brny666
19th March 2013, 0:41
Haha. Wow I really thought that I was the only one that noticed that. I don’t think their related but he definitely resembles the Master, and if Sunday is anything to go by than he seems as capable at strategy as Newey at design, which bodes well for Lotus since their strategies were abysmal last year.
kimrogue (@kimrogue)
19th March 2013, 10:04
@mnm101 I thought the same too. @brny666 I agree with you. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence that Enstone got their strategy spot on with him at the helm. But, they also had the car which could accommodate the superior strategy. But, the real test of him capabilities would come later in races with variable weather conditions.
stu89
18th March 2013, 21:26
Very interesting but the thing about 4 french drivers being on the grid since 1995 is incorrect since gachot is belgian.
BasCB (@bascb)
19th March 2013, 7:52
As noted above, Gachot did start with a Belgian licence, but changed to French and therefore is counted as French for the 1995 season Stu.
Trido (@)
18th March 2013, 21:45
I really love these articles. I am a lover of random facts so find these fascinating!
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
18th March 2013, 22:01
Kimi and Fernando are the only drivers to be on the podium in Melbourne with 3 different teams ,Kimi with Mclaren Ferrari and Lotus ,Fernando with Renault Mclaren and Ferrari
Melbourne is one of 3 circuits on the calendar that Fernando failed to score a podium with Ferrari,the other 2 are Shanghai and Spa
Nico Roseberg failed to finish in points for 7 races in a row which is his worst result since 2006 when he failed to finish in points for 13 consecutive race
Jenson Button has scored 1001 pts in F1 which make him 4th of all time after Shumacher, Alonso and Vettel
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
18th March 2013, 22:40
@tifoso1989
I think that makes Schumacher’s achievements all the more remarkable – despite the fact he has three fairly lacklustre seasons in 2010-12 with the new system (unlike say Vettel) he still managed to break the 1000 point barrier. It just highlights his consistent prolonged performance!
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
19th March 2013, 13:09
truly agree on this
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
18th March 2013, 22:02
Last driver to win a race:
1. In a step-nosed car
2. wasn’t Kimi Raikkonen
3. wasn’t a multiple world champion
was Mark Webber in the RBR at Silverstone.
I know, not much of a stat, but still…
James (@jamesf1)
18th March 2013, 22:29
Some of the stats added on here are incredible, some are so tediously pointless and so uninteresting, I’m sure they’re being posted for the sake of being posted…
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
19th March 2013, 1:30
@jamesf1 I’m pretty sure you’re referring to my stat..I know it is an unnecessary addition. However, I had several other stats in mind, which the likes of @keithcollantine and @andae23 referred to.
James (@jamesf1)
19th March 2013, 13:38
Not an attack on anyone, just an observation in general.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
20th March 2013, 5:40
@jamesf1 Right thanks….
Metallion (@metallion)
18th March 2013, 22:56
So Webber is now the oldest driver on the grid at 36 years old. Does anyone know how old the youngest oldest driver ever was?
R.J. O'Connell (@rjoconnell)
18th March 2013, 23:46
Jean Alesi in 2000? A couple months older than Johnny Herbert, and both were 35 to start the season.
deanmachine (@deanmachine)
18th March 2013, 23:19
First race where no driver who made their debut in the 1900s has started.
brny666
19th March 2013, 0:44
Love it. This means that the 90s are well and truly gone now.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th March 2013, 8:36
@deanmachine Now there’s a landmark.
Tomsk (@tomsk)
19th March 2013, 0:42
Every time the guys from Enstone win the opening round, it seems they go on to win the drivers’ title…
1994 – Michael Schumacher (Benetton) beat Senna in Brazil
1995 – Schumacher won again in Brazil, apparently (don’t remember this one at all)
2005 – The other wet Melbourne qualifying session. Fisichella grabbed pole and won the race, and Alonso became champion in the other Renault.
2006 – Alonso won, and went on to defend his title.
2013 – Raikkonen won the opener and… save me a space in the place to gloat.
Starbuck (@starbuck)
19th March 2013, 11:16
Damon was leading the race but had to retire. Schumacher and Coulthard (2nd) were DSQ after the race, but handed back the points later.
Minardi (@gitanes)
19th March 2013, 5:03
17 of the 22 active drivers have now made their debut in Melbourne, with just 4 scoring points: Hamilton 3rd, Webber 5th, Raikkonen 6th, and di Resta 10th.
Enigma (@enigma)
19th March 2013, 8:18
@gitanes Which 5 didn’t debut in Melbourne? Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Grosjean – who’s the 5th?
Matthijs (@matthijs)
19th March 2013, 9:15
How about Vettel?
Enigma (@enigma)
19th March 2013, 10:36
@matthijs Ah, thanks!
Neel Jani (@neelv27)
19th March 2013, 8:38
All three podium finishers represent the no. of world titles they have won in their respective podium finishes!
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
19th March 2013, 9:21
The win was oddly reminiscent of the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix. Very cold, and the only car to competitively make a 2-stop work, while the others did a 3-stop. The 3-stoppers got stuck in traffic at different stages of the race as the lone 2-stopper was able to go unchallenged, with the 2nd-best 2-stopper falling through the field in the final stint as his tyres were shot (Vettel in China, Sutil here)
Let’s hope that that’s not an omen for Kimi :P
gwenouille (@gwenouille)
19th March 2013, 9:33
For him to score a 4th victory, he must have a 3rd under his belt ! He won in 2009 and 2012, so twice only.
gwenouille (@gwenouille)
19th March 2013, 9:36
OOps !
Completely wrong ! I forgot 2011, how could I !?
Sorry
Starbuck (@starbuck)
19th March 2013, 11:17
Don’t worry. I deleted 2011 from my memory, too ;)
Wessel (@wessel-v1)
19th March 2013, 16:48
2010 It was, I guess.
BasCB (@bascb)
19th March 2013, 10:14
It seems that Sutil matched Heidfeld in getting his first laps in the lead of in his 91st race.
Erivaldo moreira (@erivaldonin)
19th March 2013, 19:41
The 11th place of Sergio Perez was the worst result for McLaren rookie in the last 31 riders. (Count only riders who finished the race)
Kelvin Isaac
21st March 2013, 15:40
Second time Raikkonen has passed a Force India car for the lead and win. First time was 2009 Spa-Francorchamps when he overtook Giancarlo Fisichella.
Mitch White
24th March 2013, 1:06
Every time Raikkonen finishes on the podium in Melbourne, he also sets the fastest lap.