F1 has made a big mistake in starting the 2027 calendar with a sprint race
Formula 1's 2027 season-opener will be a sprint in Bahrain. Does the decision devalue the one weekend when fans most want a clean answer?
The landmarks and records from the 2017 Australian Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton has started each of the last four Australian Grands Prix from pole position.
2. The last driver other than Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel to qualify on pole in Australia was Jenson Button in 2009.
3. The Australian Grand Prix was the 100th led by Lewis Hamilton, the second led by Valtteri Bottas.
4. Vettel’s front-row start was his first since Singapore 2015, which was also his and Ferrari’s last victory.
5. It was Ferrari’s 225th win in Formula 1, Vettel’s 43rd.
6. Ferrari leads the championship in the hybrid era for the first time – the Prancing Horse was last on top following the 2012 Japanse Grand Prix. Vettel last led the standings in 2013.
7. Antonio Giovinazzi became the 100th Italian to drive during a Grand Prix weekend. Raffaelle Marciello was the last, in Friday practice at Austin in 2015. The most recent Italian to start a Grand Prix was Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2011.
8. Similarly, Lance Stroll was the first Canadian in Formula 1 since Jacques Villeneuve.
9. Daniel Ricciardo suffered his first retirement since Belgium 2015.
10. Daniil Kvyat surpassed Vitaly Petrov for the most GP starts for a Russian driver.
Compiled with the help of Database curator Peter Higham
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