Hamilton's record-equalling pole, a sunken patch of tarmac that cost Ricciardo his front wing and a Mercedes one-two in Melbourne.
The 2019 Australian Grand Prix was held at Albert Park in Melbourne on 17 March 2019 and opened the season. Valtteri Bottas won from second on the grid, Hamilton finished second and Verstappen took third.
Valtteri Bottas won the 2019 Australian Grand Prix from second on the grid, with Hamilton second and Verstappen third. The race opened the season at Albert Park, where a sunken patch of tarmac ended Daniel Ricciardo's afternoon before it had properly begun.
Why was the 2019 season opener in Melbourne significant?
The race was the first of twenty-one rounds in 2019 and the 84th in the history of the Australian Grand Prix, a series whose roots lie in a 1928 road race. The calendar had been confirmed at a December 2018 meeting in Paris. It was also the last Grand Prix held on the Albert Park layout that had been in use since 1996.
The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, and the 2022 race was run on an adjusted layout.
The 2019 event was the 24th held at Albert Park and the 35th as part of the World Championship. The sixteen-turn circuit measures 5.303 km (3.295 mi).
Bottas won from second on the grid, while Hamilton's record-equalling pole was not enough to take the race.
How did the death of Charlie Whiting change the weekend?
Race director Charlie Whiting died suddenly the week before the race, and his deputy, Michael Masi, stepped in as temporary successor. Local officials covered Whiting's other duties until a permanent appointment was confirmed in time for the Bahrain round.
Masi stayed in the job until the end of the 2021 season. The week before the race also brought a season launch at Federation Square, the first event of its kind for the sport.
Who made their debut or returned in 2019?
Alexander Albon, Lando Norris and George Russell made their competitive debuts, while Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica and Daniil Kvyat returned to the championship. The arrival of three new names made the 2019 grid noticeably younger in places. Alfa Romeo Racing came back in place of Sauber under a sponsorship deal that began in 2018.
Racing Point also debuted as an independent constructor, after buying up the Sahara Force India assets. Kubica's start was his first since the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it came after a rally accident in 2011 that partially severed his right hand.
Ferrari's title sponsor, Mission Winnow, was banned from the race because it did not comply with local tobacco sponsorship laws.
How did the tyre and points rules change?
Pirelli rated its compounds from C1, the hardest, to C5, the softest, and for this race brought C2 (white), C3 (yellow) and C4 (red) as hard, medium and soft. The colour system used in earlier years was simplified so that the white wall marks the hardest compound at any Grand Prix. Yellow now marks the medium compound and red the softest.
The points system from 2010 was kept, but a driver who set the fastest lap and finished in the top ten earned a bonus point. The constructor of that driver received the bonus point too, so the reward was shared between driver and team.
What happened in practice and qualifying?
Hamilton topped all three practice sessions, but Alexander Albon spun at turn 2 and hit the wall in the first. He drove back to the pits to be repaired. Later, McLaren sent Norris into Kubica's path in the final session, and the team was fined for that.
Kubica struck the wall as he left turn 10 in the first qualifying session, and a puncture followed. He later blamed a sudden rise in grip, and Stroll, Gasly, Sainz, Russell and Kubica himself all failed to progress from Q1.
Gasly's exit surprised many and he blamed unexpected track evolution. Sainz was disappointed too, especially as his McLaren teammate Norris reached the top ten. Sainz said he had to slow on his lap after Kubica's puncture in front of him.
Which drivers went out in the second qualifying session?
Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Albon, Giovinazzi and Kvyat were knocked out in Q2 and finished between 11th and 15th. Hamilton ended the session quickest, bettering the lap record, and Norris moved into the top ten for McLaren.
The exits were a surprise for the two Renault drivers. Ricciardo and Hulkenberg had been considered the fourth-fastest team after pre-season testing, so going out in Q2 was unexpected. Their absence from the final session was one of the surprises of qualifying.
Why did Hamilton's pole matter?
Hamilton came into the round as defending World Drivers' Champion, and his pole matched the mark for most poles at one Grand Prix, with eight. He set a qualifying lap record in the second session, then improved by half a second on his second attempt in the third to beat Bottas's time.
Bottas had led after his first attempt in the final session, and Vettel completed the top three. Verstappen, Leclerc, Grosjean, Magnussen, Norris, Raikkonen and Perez made up the top ten. Leclerc said an untidy lap had kept him out of the top three, while Haas were delighted with sixth and seventh.
How did Ricciardo's race end before it began?
Ricciardo was battling Perez for position when he drove over a sunken patch of tarmac, which made his front wing fall apart. He carried on without it, dropped to last and pitted for a replacement.
Kubica also pitted on lap 1, having lost his front wing in contact with Gasly. Bottas led into turn 1. Leclerc had passed Verstappen and then fought his Ferrari teammate Vettel for fifth, and Vettel held him back until Verstappen went past Leclerc.
What happened in the middle of the race?
Sainz pulled over on lap 11 with smoke pouring from his McLaren, followed by an onboard fire. Hulkenberg and Perez pitted early in search of an undercut, and Vettel followed onto medium tyres. Gasly, in a much quicker car than those ahead, climbed only from 17th to 12th, while Raikkonen pitted on lap 13.
Hamilton stopped a lap afterwards on that same compound and came out ahead of Vettel. Grosjean lost three positions because of a front left tyre problem during his stop, and Giovinazzi went wide at turn 13, which let Grosjean through.
Bottas pitted on lap 23, and Verstappen followed three laps later. Leclerc stopped from second on lap 29, and Verstappen passed Vettel on lap 31.
Why did Bottas win by more than 20 seconds?
Bottas led from the start, set the fastest lap and crossed the line over 20 seconds ahead of Hamilton. He was the first to earn the fastest-lap bonus point in that form since Maurice Trintignant's result at the 1959 United States Grand Prix.
Ricciardo retired as a precaution after the lap 1 incident. Grosjean stopped on the runoff area at the penultimate corner when his front left wheel came loose, and Kvyat went wide trying to pass Stroll at turn 3 on lap 38.
Verstappen's third place came after his own stop three laps behind Bottas and a pass on Vettel on lap 31.
Race result highlights
| Finish | Driver | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Valtteri Bottas | Second on the grid; fastest lap bonus point |
| 2nd | Lewis Hamilton | Pole, equalling the record of eight poles at one Grand Prix |
| 3rd | Max Verstappen | Passed Vettel on lap 31 |
| 4th and 5th | Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc | The two Ferrari cars |
| Retired | Daniel Ricciardo | Front wing failure; retired as a precaution after lap 1 |
| Retired | Carlos Sainz | Smoke and an onboard fire on lap 11 |
| Retired | Romain Grosjean | Front left wheel came loose |
Why does the 2019 Australian Grand Prix still matter?
It was the first round of a twenty-one race season, and the last season opener in Melbourne until 2025. It also gave Norris and Russell their Formula One debuts, and Kubica made his first race start since 2010.
Norris went on to become a World Champion and Russell a race winner, which makes the debut grid look more significant in hindsight. Mercedes filled the front row, and Bottas made the most of second place on the grid.
