Sebastian Vettel has won both of the last two Formula 1 races at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. Will he make it three in a row this weekend?
Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has won both of the last two Formula 1 races at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, meaning that he is set to go for his third consecutive victory at the track in this Sunday’s race, the Australian Grand Prix.
The last race at the 16-turn, 3.296-mile (5.303-kilometer) Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit road course in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia that was won by a driver other than Vettel was held in March of 2016. This race was won by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Nico Rosberg. Vettel, meanwhile, finished it in third place.
In the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, Vettel started in second place behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who led the first 16 laps of the race but did not lead any more after that. Vettel went on to lead 38 of the 57-lap race’s final 41 laps en route to winning it by 9.975 seconds over Hamilton in second.
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Two other drivers led at least one lap of the race, which featured four lead changes. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas led two laps en route to a third place finish while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen led one lap en route to a fourth place finish.
In the 2018 Australian Grand Prix, Vettel once again started in second place behind Hamilton. Hamilton, much like he did in the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, led only the race’s first 18 laps. He then came into the pits, which is when the race’s only lead change occurred. Vettel came into the pits under the subsequent virtual safety car period and came out ahead of Hamilton. He led the 58-lap race’s final 40 laps en route to a 5.036-second victory over Hamilton in second.
Will Vettel earn his third consecutive victory at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in this Sunday’s race, or will a driver other than Vettel win at the track for the first time since Rosberg did so in March of 2016?
While Vettel’s two Australian Grands Prix in the last two seasons are his only two Australian Grands Prix victories since he won the race in the 2011 season, he has excelled at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit since he began driving for Ferrari in the 2015 season.
Vettel has never finished a race at the track lower in than third place in four races there as a Ferrari driver. In fact, in the seven Australian Grands Prix that he has finished in his career, he has never finished in lower than third.
Yes, circumstances have played into Vettel’s hands at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in the past, specifically last season, but he has still done his part in capitalizing on the opportunities that have come his way, which is something that he can’t exactly say when it comes to a number of other tracks on the calendar.
Having never finished off the podium when he has finished an Australian Grand Prix and having won the race in each of the last two seasons, the four-time champion should be considered the favorite heading into this weekend.
Will Sebastian Vettel earn his third consecutive Australian Grand Prix victory by winning this weekend’s race at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit? This race, which is the first race of the 2019 Formula 1 season, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 17, and it is set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 1:10 a.m. ET, so be sure not to miss it.