Who has won the most F1 Australian GPs?
The Australian GP has seen several winners over the years, but only 3 drivers have won this race more than two times.
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The start of the 2022 Australian GP
The Australian GP is a fan favorite in Formula 1. Melbourne’s Albert Park has become a stable part of the F1 calendar as the race has solidified its place in the sport till at least 2035. The circuit is 5.27km in length or 3.28 miles. This street circuit is built around Albert lake. Despite consisting of public roads, the track possesses the characteristics of a purpose-built track as well, with challenging medium and high-speed corners.
Non-championship races took place in Australia as far back as 1927. However, it was only in 1985 that the Australian GP became a part of the F1 world championship. Initially, it held the final round of the season in the city of Adelaide. The 1990 race, in particular, created controversy as Ayrton Senna crashed into Alain Prost in the first corner and won the championship.
The Albert Park GP Circuit replaced the Adelaide Street Circuit in 1996. William’s Damon Hill won this iteration of the race. Over the years, the Melbourne track has given fans some exciting moments, such as Sebastian Vettel returning Ferrari to the top spot in the season opener in 2017. The Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancelation of the Australian GP, which made a return in 2022.
Since 1985, the Australian GP has witnessed a host of race winners. F1 World champions such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are among the eight drivers who have won this race on different occasions. Hamilton won the race at Albert Park in 2008 and 2015. Interestingly, arch-rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost have won the F1 championship races in Australia twice.
Discover: 5 most memorable moments from Australian GP
Jenson Button (3)
The British driver has won the Australian GP three times. Jenson Button led the Brawn GP team to a remarkable 1-2 finish in Melbourne in 2009. The former Honda works team was miles ahead of the competition as it exploited the new rules with its double diffuser. This season opener would set the trend for the rest of the season, with Button winning the 2009 world championship in an almost fairytale story.
The following year, the 43-year-old moved to McLaren. Red Bull was the favorite for the 2010 season as it locked out the front row. Yet, Jenson came out on top at the 2010 Australian GP after starting fourth on the grid with a gap of 12 seconds to Robert Kubica in second place. Although, this was aided by Sebastian Vettel’s retirement from the race lead. Nevertheless, a memorable win for the 2009 world champion.
The 2012 F1 season is seen as one of the greatest years for the sport. The first 7 rounds of the season saw 7 different race winners. Jenson Button was one of them. The British driver started in second place while his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, clinched the pole position. The 43-year-old darted off in the lead after turn 1, where he remained for most of the race. Button won his third Australian GP four years after keeping his lead even after a late Safety Car.
Sebastian Vettel (3)
Sebastian Vettel holds the joint record of winning 3 Australian GPs. The German driver first won this race in 2011 during his dominant championship-winning campaign with Red Bull. The 35-year-old started from Pole after lapping in almost half a second quicker than second-placed Lewis Hamilton. In the race, Vettel got a great start and came home to win by a giant gap of 22 seconds from Hamilton in P2.
F1 introduced new faster cars in 2017. This allowed Scuderia Ferrari to close the gap with reigning world champions Mercedes. As such, the season opener in Australia saw Sebastian go head-to-head with Lewis’s Mercedes. Vettel started P2 in the race but managed to undercut the British driver. This was also the race that gave fans the iconic Toto Wolff smashing the table meme. The 2017 Australian GP started Sebastian Vettel‘s (albeit unsuccessful) title campaign.
The 2018 Ferrari SF71H is seen as a car that should have won the world title. As such, high hopes were put on Vettel for the opening round in Australia. The 35-year-old qualified P3 for the race but jumped Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen for the race lead under the Virtual Safety Car. From that point, the German driver stayed in first place and came home to win the 2018 Australian GP.
Michael Schumacher (4)
Michael Schumacher has won the most races in Australia with 4 GP wins. The year 2000 began the dominant Schumacher-Ferrari era. Although it was McLaren that locked out the front row for the 2000 Australian GP. Schumacher stayed behind the two McLarens until they were forced to retire due to engine issues. Subsequently, the German driver inherited the lead and brought home the first 1-2 of the year for the Scuderia.
The following year, Michael started from Pole and enjoyed a comfortable lead after the first lap. The German driver brought the car home to his second Australian GP victory. Unfortunately, this race is remembered for the tragedy of marshall, Graham Beveridge. Beveridge passed away after a wheel of Jacques Villeneuve’s car. Accordingly, the top 3 drivers decided not to spray champagne on the podium.
Schumacher qualified P2 for the 2002 Australian GP behind teammate Rubens Barrichello. The German driver managed to avoid a horrific turn 1 incident between his brother Ralf and Barrichello, which caused a massive pileup with 8 cars retiring. After the incident, Michael dropped from the lead and fought his way up the pecking order. Eventually, the Ferrari driver gained the lead and won the race in dominant fashion with a gap of 18 seconds to Juan Pablo Montoya in P2.
Michael Schumacher took the pole position for the 2004 iteration of the race. Subsequently, the German driver provided a spectacle of domination as he led every lap of the 2004 Australian GP. Schumacher brought the car home in Ferrari’s first 1-2 since the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix. This race will be the last time the 7-time champion wins in Australia.
Drivers who have won the Australian GP twice
| Driver | Years won |
| Alain Prost | 1986, 1988 |
| Gerhard Berger | 1987, 1992 |
| Ayrton Senna | 1991, 1993 |
| Damon Hill | 1995, 1996 |
| David Coulthard | 1997, 2003 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 2007, 2013 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2008, 2015 |
| Nico Rosberg | 2014, 2016 |
Thus, this concludes the drivers with the most Australian GP victories. Many drivers have had the chance to win the spectacle on several occasions. However, only the three above-mentioned drivers have won the race more than two times. Michael Schumacher is once again proving his greatness as the 7-time world champion holds the record for the most F1 wins in Australia with a grand total of 4 victories.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2351 Articles Published)