Australian Grand Prix: Albert Park Grid Slot Statistics

While the Australian Grand Prix polesitter has won only three times in the last ten Albert Park races, 3rd on the grid is most likely to score, and one of the top six on the grid is likely to retire. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at Albert Park!


AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF

  • Polesitter has won 3 times in last 10 races
  • Consecutive retirements for 2nd in last two years
  • 3rd is most likely to score
  • At least one of the top six starters is likely to retire
  • 20th scored for the first time in 2022

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW

GridLast WinLast PodiumLast PointsLast DNFBest Finish
120232023202320141st
220192019201920231st
320182023202320121st
420102023202320161st
5-2013202220182nd
619992022202320191st
720132013202220231st
8-1999202220233rd
9-2010201920232nd
10-2014202320103rd
1120032005202220231st
12--202320195th
13-2005202320063rd
14--201520236th
15-2003201920233rd
16--202320106th
17--202320227th
18--200220235th
19--201620184th
20--202220188th

Facts and stats about Bahrain Grand Prix polesitters
  • 3 wins in the last 10 races
  • 11 wins in total from pole
  • 7 retirements for the polesitter since 1996

Though the polesitter has won the last two Albert Park races, pole isn’t a particularly lucky place to start from in Melbourne. The polesitter has finished on the podium in all but one of the last 11 races here, but they’ve also gone on to win the Australian Grand Prix just three times in the last ten races.

In all of the four events at Albert Park prior to 2022, the polesitter (Lewis Hamilton at all four) finished as runner-up in the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc finally bucked that trend in 2022, becoming the first Australian Grand Prix polesitter to win the race since 2015.

While pole has been converted into a win 11 times in the 26 races to date at the Albert Park track since 1996, the polesitter has also retired from the Grand Prix here seven times. The only other results for a driver starting from pole at the track are second, third and fourth. 2003 is the only time that the polesitter here neither finished on the podium nor retired from the race – Michael Schumacher finished fourth that year.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
3 3 DNF 1 2 2 2 2 1 1


  • Won 3 of the last 6 Albert Park races
  • 2022 saw first DNF since 2008
  • Retirements in last two seasons

The driver starting from second has won three of the last six Australian Grands Prix. 2022 marked the end of a five-race streak of podiums for the driver starting here.

In 2022, Max Verstappen became the first driver to retire having started second since Felipe Massa in 2008. George Russell also retired having started here in 2023, recording the first successive retirements from second on the grid in Melbourne since 2001 and 2002.

Only seven races at Albert Park have seen the driver starting from second not finish in the top ten. The driver starting here has failed to finish six times in total.

In addition to the six DNFs, Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified from the race having started second and finished on the podium in 2014.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
1 6 DSQ 2 1 1 3 1 DNF DNF


  • Only 5 DNFs in Melbourne history
  • 4 wins, most recent in 2018
  • 6 podiums in last 8 races

Aside from grid slots below 20th which have frequently been left vacant, third on the grid has supplied the least overall non-finishes at Albert Park, with just five.

In addition to four DNFs from third on the grid – the most recent of which was in 2012 – Sebastian Vettel failed to finish but was classified 13th in 2009 after crashing out in the closing stages.

The driver starting third has won the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on four occasions, most recently in 2018. Six podiums have been scored from third on the grid in the last eight races at the track, including two wins.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF 5 1 4 3 3 1 4 2 2


  • Podiums in 2 of the last 3 races
  • Two wins – in 1997 and 2010

In 2019, Max Verstappen became the first driver since 2015 to finish on the podium having started fourth at the track. Fernando Alonso recorded the grid slot’s second podium finish in three races with third place in 2023.

In the last eight Albert Park races, two DNFs – for Michael Schumacher in 2012 and Kimi Raikkonen in 2016 – are the only occasions that the driver starting fourth has failed to finish in the top six.

The driver starting fourth has been victorious twice, in 1997 and 2010.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF 4 2 3 DNF 4 6 3 5 3


  • No wins from 5th on the grid
  • Least top 10 finishes of top 5 grid slots
  • No podiums since 2013

The driver starting from fifth has never won the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. It is the only grid slot in the top seven to have never won here.

Fifth is the grid position in the top five which has seen the most non-finishes and the least top ten finishes. The driver starting here has not finished on the podium since 2013.

Finishing 12th as the result of a post race time penalty in 2023, Carlos Sainz became the first driver to finish in a position outside of the points (without retiring) having started fifth at Albert Park.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
4 2 4 DNF 10 5 DNF 5 4 12


  • One win from 6th – in 1999
  • First podium since 2012 in 2022

Interestingly, there have only ever been two races at Albert Park (2005 and 2011) in which all of the top six qualifiers finished the race.

2011 was also the only time the top six qualifiers at this track all went on to finish in the top six in the Grand Prix. It seems likely, then, that one big name will fail to reach the end of the Australian Grand Prix.

For three consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2019, the driver starting sixth failed to reach the end of the race. The grid slot has had better fortunes since F1’s post-pandemic return to Melbourne in 2022.

George Russell recorded a podium finish from 6th on the grid in 2022 – the first top three result for the driver starting sixth at Albert Park since 2012. Lance Stroll finished fourth having started sixth in 2023.

Eddie Irvine is the only driver to have won from this grid slot, doing so in 1999.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
2 DNF 8 5 5 DNF DNF DNF 3 4


  • 2023 marked first DNF since 2011
  • Most DNFs of top 10 grid slots
  • 2013 is only win for 7th on grid

In 2023, Charles Leclerc retired from seventh on the grid on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix. It was the first DNF from the grid slot since 2011.

Leclerc’s retirement was the tenth in total from seventh on the grid in Melbourne, making it the grid position within the top ten with the most retirements overall here since 1996.

2023 ended an eight-race scoring streak for the driver starting seventh at Albert Park.

Kimi Raikkonen’s win from seventh is the only time that the driver starting here has won at Albert Park, as well as one of only two times that a podium finish has come from seventh – the other being third place for Nico Rosberg in 2008.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
12 1 6 9 9 6 7 6 6 DNF


  • One podium finish – in 1999
  • Five 4th place finishes since 2000

The driver starting eighth at Albert Park has finished on the podium only once. That driver was Ralf Schumacher, who finished third in 1999.

Since then, this grid slot has recorded five fourth place finishes but has never returned to the rostrum. The driver starting here has left point-less in two of the last three Albert Park races. Lando Norris finished 12th on debut in 2019, while Alex Albon crashed out in 2023.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
13 10 9 DNF 4 8 4 12 7 DNF


  • Only podium in 2010
  • Three top 5 finishes
  • 11 non finishes

Robert Kubica is the only driver to have scored a podium finish from ninth on the grid at Albert Park, finishing as runner-up in 2010. That’s one of only three top five finishes for the driver starting here – the others being fifth places for Olivier Panis in 1997 and Giancarlo Fisichella in 2000.

The driver starting here has not been classified 11 times, including a first lap retirement for Carlos Sainz in 2022 and a DSQ for Kamui Kobayashi in 2011. Pierre Gasly was classified 13th in 2023 but did not reach the end of the race after a collision with his team-mate.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF 8 DNF DNF 13 9 10 8 DNF 13


  • No retirements since 2010
  • 2023 saw first points since 2018
  • Only podium in 2014

Along with 16th, tenth is the Albert Park grid slot which has gone the longest without a DNF. Adrian Stuil was the last driver to retire having started here, in 2010.

In 2023, Nico Hulkenberg became the first driver to score having started tenth since 2018, with the previous two races having resulted in finishes outside of the points. Sergio Perez finished only 13th in 2019, while Fernando Alonso continued the grid slot’s point-less streak in 2022.

Jenson Button is the only driver to score a podium finish from tenth on the grid at Albert Park, doing so with third place in 2014 – though he did not actually stand on the podium that day.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
9 9 3 4 7 7 5 13 17 7


  • 3 podium finishes
  • Furthest back win came from here in 2003
  • 3-race points streak ended in 2023

11th is the grid position with the most podium finishes from outside the top six on the grid. Drivers starting here have gone on to finish on the podium on three occasions, and 11th position is also the record for the furthest back win here, which David Coulthard achieved in 2003.

Esteban Ocon’s retirement in 2023 ended a three-race streak of points finishes for the driver starting 11th at Albert Park.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
11 DNS 7 16 DNF 11 9 7 9 14


  • Only scored points 7 times
  • 14 failures to finish
  • Scored in the last two years

One of the unluckiest grid slots at Albert Park is 12th. The driver starting from 12th has scored points only seven times; less than any other grid slot in the top 13.

In addition, the grid slot has recorded the most non-finishes, with 13 DNFs and a DNS in 2015. Two of the last five races for the driver starting 12th have resulted in retirements. No driver starting here has finished above fifth at the event.

All of the first five races at Albert Park resulted in the driver starting 12th retiring from the race.

In 2022, Valtteri Bottas finished eighth having started 12th, becoming the first driver to score points from 12th at Albert Park since Adrian Sutil, who finished seventh in 2013. Yuki Tsunoda followed Bottas into the points from 12th on the grid in 2023, finishing tenth.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
5 7 DNF DNS 14 DNF 11 DNF 8 10


  • No DNFs since 2006
  • 3 points finishes in last 9 races
  • Only podium in 2005

While no-one has recorded a DNF starting from 13th since 2006, Sergio Perez was disqualified having started from 13th in 2011.

The driver starting here has scored only three times in the last nine Australian Grands Prix. That includes a sixth place finish for Lando Norris in 2023 – the first top six result for the grid slot since 2012.

Fernando Alonso is the only driver to secure a podium finish from here, doing so with a third place finish in 2005.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
6 12 11 7 11 10 14 14 15 6


  • More DNFs than any other grid slot
  • Best result of 6th in 2002

14th has the third-most DNFs at the Albert Park circuit. In the last ten races here, the driver starting 14th has retired five times and has scored only one point – courtesy of Sergio Perez’s tenth place finish in 2015.

Mika Salo recorded the best finish from this grid slot, finishing sixth in 2002.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF DNF DNF 10 12 DNF 12 15 11 17


  • Points in 4 of the last 8 races
  • Podium in 2003 was only points between 1996 and 2011

The driver starting 15th has scored at four of the last eight Australian Grand Prix weekend.

Between 1996 and 2011, Kimi Raikkonen’s third place in 2003 is the only time that this grid slot scored points at Albert Park. It also remains the only podium finish from this position, as well as the furthest back podium finish in the track’s history, excluding pit-lane starts.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
10 11 5 8 DNF 8 10 13 15


  • No retirements since 2010
  • No top five finishes recorded from here

16th on the grid shares the record for the longest amount of time since the last non-classified finish in the Australian Grand Prix.

The last driver to fail to be classified having started here is Kamui Kobayashi, who failed to finish following a first lap crash in 2010.

No driver starting here has finished above sixth – which is where Riccardo Zonta finished having started 16th in 2000.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
16 14 10 11 8 12 15 9 14 8


  • 5 non-finishes in last 9 races
  • 7th place is best result
  • Scored points in 2023

Chances of scoring points from 17th or further back on the grid are minimal – though Zhou Guanyu managed the feat in 2023 with a ninth place result.

17th on the grid has had five non-finishes in the last nine races at Albert Park, including a DNS for Kevin Magnussen in 2015.

Kimi Raikkonen’s seventh place in 2012 is the best result for the driver starting 17th at Albert Park.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
7 DNF 13 DNS 15 DNF DNF 11 DNF 9


  • No points scored since 2002
  • Best finish is 5th place

18th is the grid slot at Albert Park which has gone the longest without scoring a point. Mark Webber’s fifth place finish in 2002 is the last time that the driver starting here scored, while Pedro de la Rosa’s sixth place in 1999 is the only other points-scoring occasion for the driver starting 18th at the Australian Grand Prix.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF 13 NC DNS 13 13 DNF 16 16


  • 13 retirements since 1996
  • Three points finishes

The driver starting 19th on the grid at Albert Park has retired on 13 occasions. 2019 marked the first time since 2016 that the driver starting 19th has finished the Australian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean’s sixth place finish for Haas in 2016 is one of only three occasions that 19th on the grid has scored at Albert Park, the other times being Eddie Irvine’s fourth place finish in 2002 and Jacques Villeneuve’s sixth place finish in 2006.

Due to pit lane starters, the grid slot was left clear in 2023.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
DNF 15 DNF 6 DNF DNF 16 12


  • One point scored from 20th
  • Best result is 8th, in 2002

Every grid slot within the top 20 secured at least two top ten finishes between 1996 and 2019, though no driver scored points as a result of their top ten finishes from 20th on the grid until 2022.

In 2022, Alex Albon became the first driver to score a point from 20th on the grid at Albert Park, finishing in tenth place. That’s not the best result from this position, however. Pedro de la Rosa finished eighth in 2002, before the position awarded any points.

Points have come from further back than 20th. Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez finished sixth and eighth in 2007 and 2012 respectively having started from 22nd.

LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT ALBERT PARK

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023
14 17 12 DNF DNF DNF 17 10


There have been six occasions that a driver has started the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park from the pit lane.

Both Toyota drivers started from the pits in 2009, with Jarno Trulli finishing on the podium and Timo Glock finishing fourth.

There were two pit lane starters again in 2023, with Valtteri Bottas finishing 11th and Sergio Perez fifth having started from the pit lane.

The other two pit lane starters at Albert Park – Jean Alesi in 2000 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2017 – saw their races end in retirements.

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