Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari claimed their first victory since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, opening the 2017 Formula One World Championship season.
Key Facts
- Race laps
- 57 laps
- Championship round
- Round 1 of 2017 FIA F1 World Championship
- Australian GP history
- 82nd race in combined Australian Grand Prix history
- Times held at Melbourne circuit
- 22nd time at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
- Hamilton pole positions in Australia
- 6, matching Ayrton Senna's record
- Ferrari's last Australia win before 2017
- 2007 Australian Grand Prix
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship opened in Melbourne, with Nico Rosberg absent having retired after winning the 2016 title. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, secured pole position, equalling Ayrton Senna's record of six Australian Grand Prix pole positions.
The race ran for 57 laps of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on 26 March 2017. Sebastian Vettel, driving for Ferrari, won the race from second on the grid. Hamilton finished second, while Valtteri Bottas, on his Mercedes debut, completed the podium in third place.
Vettel's victory ended a drought for both himself and Ferrari that had lasted since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, and was Ferrari's first Australian Grand Prix win since 2007. Bottas's podium on his Mercedes debut signalled a competitive start for the team's new driver lineup.