AUSTRALIA
Albert Park
Friday 25 March
First practice: 0125-0305, BBC Red Button/online
Second practice: 0525-0705, BBC Red Button/online
Saturday 26 March
Third practice: 0255-0405, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Qualifying: 0500-0730, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
Qualifying repeat: 1300-1415, BBC One
Sunday 27 March
Grand Prix live: 0600-0900, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
F1 forum: 0900-1000, BBC Red Button/online
Grand Prix repeat: 1300-1500, BBC One
Highlights: 1900-2000 and 0255-0355, BBC Three
Standings:
Track:
Not uploaded yet, hopefully RedBull will continue to do them.
Track Diagram
Circuit information
Lap data
Lap length 5.303km (3.295 miles)
Race laps 58
Race distance 307.574km (191.118 miles)
Lap record* 1’24.125 (226.934 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2004
Fastest lap 1’23.919 (227.491 kph) by Sebastian Vettel, 2010
Maximum speed 303 kph (188.275 mph)
Car performance
Full throttle 69%
Tyre wear Medium
Brake wear Medium/Hard
Downforce level 8/10
Gear changes per lap
Fuel use per lap 2.503kg
Strategy
Pit lane time loss 17.9 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Hard (2010: Hard)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Soft)
Australia preview quotes - Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes & Sauber
The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship finally gets underway in Australia next weekend, with all 12 teams eager to discover how their new cars stack up against the competition. There’s new rules, new tyres and more, but one thing that remains reassuringly consistent is the warm welcome guaranteed for the paddock at Melbourne’s Albert Park…
F1 season preview - how testing has gone
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in a series of discussions starting with what we have learnt from pre-season testing.
F1 season preview - New for 2011
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the second of a series of discussions. This time they talk about what is new for 2011 including Pirelli tyres and moveable rear wings.
F1 season preview - Driver changes for 2011
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the third of a series of discussions. In this video, they look at the changes in driving personnel for the 2011 season.
F1 season preview - Champions on the grid
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the fourth of a series of discussions. In this video, they look at the prospects for the five world champions who will line up on the grid in 2011.
Suzuka - Team Preview
Pirelli
Cosworth Not uploaded yet
Red Bull Not uploaded yet
McLaren
Ferrari Not uploaded yet
Mercedes
Renault Not uploaded yet
Williams
Force India
Sauber
Toro Rosso Not uploaded yet
Lotus
Hispania
Virgin
Classic F1
Classic F1 2011 - Sebastian Vettel
The feature has been running for two years but after showing highlights of more than 200 grands prix since 2009, we have decided to change the format for this season.
Rather than us choose the races, the Formula 1 drivers themselves will do it.
Japan 2009 - from the beginning to the end a very good race.
Sebastian Vettel convincingly won the Japanese Grand Prix to keep his slim title hopes alive but championship leader Jenson Button stayed in control.
Japan 2010 - from the beginning to the end a very good race and it's special to win somewhere two years in a row, especially a great track like Suzuka.
Abu Dhabi 2010, where I won the championship for the first time.
Sebastian Vettel drove a masterful race to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and lift his maiden Formula 1 world title.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel reignited his world championship hopes with an emphatic lights-to-flag victory in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Technical Changes
Weather Forecast
News
Rookie Drivers
The track and TV coverage starts
FIA Thursday press conference - Australia
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Narain Karthikeyan (HRT), Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Mark Webber (Red Bull)
Technical changes
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
It was a day of learning at Albert Park - learning about moveable rear wings, KERS, track conditions, tyres and, of course, relative form. At the front, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari set the pace. At the back, HRT’s new F111 managed its very first lap. The leading teams and their rivals reflect on their early progress in Melbourne…
Practice 1
The Australian Grand Prix - Practice One
Practice One - Webber leads Red Bull one-two in Australia
The 2011 F1 season finally kicked off this morning in Melbourne’s Albert Park - with a bang. Test driver Karun Chandhok got as far as Turn Four on his out lap before losing grip and cannoning into the wall, severely damaging his Lotus T128.
Practice 2
The Australian Grand Prix - Practice Two
Practice Two - McLaren's turn for a Melbourne one-two
McLaren ended the second session of practice first and second in Albert Park on Friday evening, with Jenson Button pipping team mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.132s as only 0.429s covered the top five.
Practice 3
Qualifying
Formula 1 - 2011 - The Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying
Jake Humphrey presents coverage of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Jonathan Legard and Martin Brundle commentate on proceedings.
Qualifying - untouchable Vettel wows with Albert Park pole
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull crushed their opposition in Albert Park on Saturday to grab pole position for the Australian Grand Prix by a stunning eight-tenths of a second, the world champion being in a class of his own as he lapped in 1m 23.529s in Q3.
Qualifying - selected team and driver quotes
Months of waiting - and conjecture - came to end on Saturday afternoon, as the grid’s 24 runners finally pitted themselves against each other in anger during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Neither HRT driver managed to set a time within the new 107 percent rule, Renault’s Nick Heidfeld was a surprise faller in Q1 and the McLarens looked in unexpectedly good form with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finishing in second and fourth. The day, however, belonged to reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel who set a scintillating time to take a dominant pole position for Red Bull...
Australian Grand Prix qualifying - top three drivers
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel gives his reaction after claiming pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.
ebastian Vettel's Australian Grand Prix pole lap
Ride onboard as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel takes pole position for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix with a blistering lap of 1:23.529 on the Albert Park circuit.
Grid
Race
Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton in Australian GP
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel got his title defence off to a perfect start with a pole-to-flag victory in the Australian Grand Prix.
Australian Grand Prix - top three drivers
Podium finishers Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Vitaly Petrov give their reactions to the Australian Grand Prix and their prospects for the rest of the Formula 1 season.
The Australian Grand Prix
Jake Humphrey introduces live coverage as the eagerly anticipated 2011 Formula 1 season begins in Australia.
Last year Britain's Jenson Button took the chequered flag by 12 seconds in a race that began in damp conditions. The 2009 world champion gambled early on by switching his McLaren to dry tyres, it was a decision that moved him into second place, and when polesitter Sebastian Vettel's day ended in a gravel trap, Button inherited the lead and never looked back. The now-injured Robert Kubica finished second in his Renault, with the Ferrari of Felipe Massa completing the podium.
Martin Brundle and David Coulthard supply the commentary.
Saubers disqualified over technical infringement
Sauber’s Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi have lost their seventh and eighth places in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after both were disqualified for technical infringements on their cars.
Standings
Albert Park
Friday 25 March
First practice: 0125-0305, BBC Red Button/online
Second practice: 0525-0705, BBC Red Button/online
Saturday 26 March
Third practice: 0255-0405, BBC Red Button/BBC Radio 5 live sports extra/online
Qualifying: 0500-0730, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
Qualifying repeat: 1300-1415, BBC One
Sunday 27 March
Grand Prix live: 0600-0900, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online
F1 forum: 0900-1000, BBC Red Button/online
Grand Prix repeat: 1300-1500, BBC One
Highlights: 1900-2000 and 0255-0355, BBC Three
Standings:
Track:
Not uploaded yet, hopefully RedBull will continue to do them.
Track Diagram
Circuit information
Lap data
Lap length 5.303km (3.295 miles)
Race laps 58
Race distance 307.574km (191.118 miles)
Lap record* 1’24.125 (226.934 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2004
Fastest lap 1’23.919 (227.491 kph) by Sebastian Vettel, 2010
Maximum speed 303 kph (188.275 mph)
Car performance
Full throttle 69%
Tyre wear Medium
Brake wear Medium/Hard
Downforce level 8/10
Gear changes per lap
Fuel use per lap 2.503kg
Strategy
Pit lane time loss 17.9 seconds
2011 prime tyre**: Hard (2010: Hard)
2011 option tyre**: Soft (2010: Soft)
Australia preview quotes - Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes & Sauber
The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship finally gets underway in Australia next weekend, with all 12 teams eager to discover how their new cars stack up against the competition. There’s new rules, new tyres and more, but one thing that remains reassuringly consistent is the warm welcome guaranteed for the paddock at Melbourne’s Albert Park…
F1 season preview - how testing has gone
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in a series of discussions starting with what we have learnt from pre-season testing.
F1 season preview - New for 2011
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the second of a series of discussions. This time they talk about what is new for 2011 including Pirelli tyres and moveable rear wings.
F1 season preview - Driver changes for 2011
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the third of a series of discussions. In this video, they look at the changes in driving personnel for the 2011 season.
F1 season preview - Champions on the grid
The BBC F1 team preview the new season in the fourth of a series of discussions. In this video, they look at the prospects for the five world champions who will line up on the grid in 2011.
Suzuka - Team Preview
Pirelli
Cosworth Not uploaded yet
Red Bull Not uploaded yet
McLaren
Ferrari Not uploaded yet
Mercedes
Renault Not uploaded yet
Williams
Force India
Sauber
Toro Rosso Not uploaded yet
Lotus
Hispania
Virgin
Classic F1
Classic F1 2011 - Sebastian Vettel
The feature has been running for two years but after showing highlights of more than 200 grands prix since 2009, we have decided to change the format for this season.
Rather than us choose the races, the Formula 1 drivers themselves will do it.
Japan 2009 - from the beginning to the end a very good race.
Sebastian Vettel convincingly won the Japanese Grand Prix to keep his slim title hopes alive but championship leader Jenson Button stayed in control.
Japan 2010 - from the beginning to the end a very good race and it's special to win somewhere two years in a row, especially a great track like Suzuka.
Abu Dhabi 2010, where I won the championship for the first time.
Sebastian Vettel drove a masterful race to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and lift his maiden Formula 1 world title.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel reignited his world championship hopes with an emphatic lights-to-flag victory in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Technical Changes
Weather Forecast
News
- Vettel: 'Almost impossible' to predict order
Sebastian Vettel believes there is more uncertainty over the pecking order heading into the first race of the new season than ever before since he has been in Formula 1. - Webber: Red Bull's winter reliability best ever
Mark Webber believes world champions Red Bull have enjoyed their best pre-season ever from a reliability point of view, after he completed his on-track work for the winter on Thursday. - We pushed it too far, admit McLaren
McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that the squad probably took things too far in some elements of their design process this year. - McLaren gamble on ‘dramatic’ changes for Australia
Martin Whitmarsh admits McLaren have taken some risks in making last-minute changes to the MP4-26 – including the decision to shelve a more complex exhaust layout – in a bid to ensure the team is in more competitive shape for this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix. - Hamilton vows not to let his head drop
Lewis Hamilton says his motivation hasn't been dented in the slightest by the prospect of McLaren starting the season off the pace. - Lewis determined to prove he is best of his era
Lewis Hamilton has declared that he won't be satisfied with his Formula 1 career unless he can win multiple world championships and prove he is the best of his era. 
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button thrilled with new car nose
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button divulge their secret new front-end F1 car design in an exclusive interview with Comic Relief.- Schumacher: 2011 Mercedes could be a winning package
- Massa: DRS already an “automatic reflex”
Felipe Massa says he is already so comfortable with the Drag Reduction System he hardly thinks about it.
Michael Schumacher is now optimistic that the Mercedes W02 can be the car that takes him back to the top of the Formula 1 podium after the team's late surge at the end of winter testing. - Mercedes GP drivers quietly confident for 2011
Mercedes GP’s pre-season preparations have not gone quite to plan, with the MGP W02 initially struggling for pace and reliability. Drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, however, are keen to downplay any concerns and are optimistic that the team could well notch up podiums and wins this year. - Rosberg: Mercedes upgrades should be 'big step'
Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes have developed some “impressive” upgrades which will help the team make a “big step” forward with the performance of their W02 ahead of the first race. - Williams give KERS green light for Oz
Williams will definitely use KERS in the opening grand prix in Australia despite some reliability worries with the system in testing. - Kobayashi: Hard to focus on season-opener
Japan's only current Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi says his thoughts are dominated by the tragic events in his homeland as the new grand prix season approaches. - Sauber to show support for Japan at Australian race
The Sauber team will run a special message on the livery of their cars at next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in support of the Japanese people, following last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami. - Sutil: Force India need aero gains
Adrian Sutil fears Force India are in for a tough start to the 2011 season - though his team boss Vijay Mallya insists the squad have what it takes to thrive this year despite a low-key testing performance. - HRT duo shrug off lack of testing
Hispania drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Tonio Liuzzi say they are not concerned that they did not get to drive the new F111 in testing before the season opener, as they are confident that it should be a sufficient step forward over the team's dreadful 2010 machine. - Virgin expect 'challenging' start of season
Virgin team principal John Booth has conceded his team are likely to find the opening races of the new season “challenging” from a performance point of view – but thinks focusing on reliability and strategy will prove beneficial in the longer-term. - No timeline on Kubica return – Doctor
Robert Kubica’s doctor says he can still not put a timeframe on when the recovering Renault driver will be able to return to Formula 1, but says that encouragingly the Pole’s condition continues to improve with each day.
Rookie Drivers
The track and TV coverage starts
FIA Thursday press conference - Australia
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Narain Karthikeyan (HRT), Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Mark Webber (Red Bull)
Technical changes
Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
It was a day of learning at Albert Park - learning about moveable rear wings, KERS, track conditions, tyres and, of course, relative form. At the front, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari set the pace. At the back, HRT’s new F111 managed its very first lap. The leading teams and their rivals reflect on their early progress in Melbourne…
Practice 1
The Australian Grand Prix - Practice One
Practice One - Webber leads Red Bull one-two in Australia
The 2011 F1 season finally kicked off this morning in Melbourne’s Albert Park - with a bang. Test driver Karun Chandhok got as far as Turn Four on his out lap before losing grip and cannoning into the wall, severely damaging his Lotus T128.
Practice 2
The Australian Grand Prix - Practice Two
Practice Two - McLaren's turn for a Melbourne one-two
McLaren ended the second session of practice first and second in Albert Park on Friday evening, with Jenson Button pipping team mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.132s as only 0.429s covered the top five.
Practice 3
Qualifying
Formula 1 - 2011 - The Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying
Jake Humphrey presents coverage of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Jonathan Legard and Martin Brundle commentate on proceedings.
Qualifying - untouchable Vettel wows with Albert Park pole
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull crushed their opposition in Albert Park on Saturday to grab pole position for the Australian Grand Prix by a stunning eight-tenths of a second, the world champion being in a class of his own as he lapped in 1m 23.529s in Q3.
Qualifying - selected team and driver quotes
Months of waiting - and conjecture - came to end on Saturday afternoon, as the grid’s 24 runners finally pitted themselves against each other in anger during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Neither HRT driver managed to set a time within the new 107 percent rule, Renault’s Nick Heidfeld was a surprise faller in Q1 and the McLarens looked in unexpectedly good form with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finishing in second and fourth. The day, however, belonged to reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel who set a scintillating time to take a dominant pole position for Red Bull...
Australian Grand Prix qualifying - top three drivers
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel gives his reaction after claiming pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.
ebastian Vettel's Australian Grand Prix pole lap
Ride onboard as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel takes pole position for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix with a blistering lap of 1:23.529 on the Albert Park circuit.
Grid
Race
Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton in Australian GP
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel got his title defence off to a perfect start with a pole-to-flag victory in the Australian Grand Prix.
Australian Grand Prix - top three drivers
Podium finishers Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Vitaly Petrov give their reactions to the Australian Grand Prix and their prospects for the rest of the Formula 1 season.
The Australian Grand Prix
Jake Humphrey introduces live coverage as the eagerly anticipated 2011 Formula 1 season begins in Australia.
Last year Britain's Jenson Button took the chequered flag by 12 seconds in a race that began in damp conditions. The 2009 world champion gambled early on by switching his McLaren to dry tyres, it was a decision that moved him into second place, and when polesitter Sebastian Vettel's day ended in a gravel trap, Button inherited the lead and never looked back. The now-injured Robert Kubica finished second in his Renault, with the Ferrari of Felipe Massa completing the podium.
Martin Brundle and David Coulthard supply the commentary.
Saubers disqualified over technical infringement
Sauber’s Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi have lost their seventh and eighth places in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after both were disqualified for technical infringements on their cars.
Standings
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