2011 Australian Grand Prix
The 2011 Australian Grand Prix (formally the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 27 March 2011 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. It was the 76th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix that dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928. Originally planned as the second race of the 2011 Formula One season, it became the season opener with the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to civil unrest in the country.
| 2011 Australian Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 1 of 19 in the 2011 Formula One World Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 27 March 2011 | ||||
| Official name | 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix | ||||
| Location | Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia | ||||
| Course | Temporary street circuit | ||||
| Course length | 5.303 km (3.295 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 58 laps, 307.574 km (191.118 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny, 18°C | ||||
| Attendance | 111,000 | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Red Bull Racing-Renault | ||||
| Time | 1:23.529 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:28.947 on lap 55 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Red Bull Racing-Renault | ||||
| Second |
| McLaren-Mercedes | |||
| Third |
| Renault | |||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The 58-lap race was won by the reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, driving for Red Bull Racing, after starting from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a McLaren, and Renault's Vitaly Petrov completed the podium in third place, the first and only podium finish of his career and the first podium finish for a Russian national. This was the only race until the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix that neither Mercedes was classified.
This race also marked Pirelli's return as the sole tyre supplier, replacing Bridgestone, who had supplied tyres to Formula One between 1997 and 2010. It was Pirelli's first race as a tyre supplier since the 1991 edition.