2012 F1 Australian Grand Prix Review

Jenson Button in 2012 Australian Grand Prix on March 18, 2012.
Photo via AUSmotive.com

The 2012 Formula One championship racing battle started with the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, on the street circuit at Albert Park, in Melbourne. All six former Formula One champions running this season, spent March 16 and 17 practicing and qualifying. When the race was completed on Sunday the 18th, 2009 champion Jenson Button (England) of McLaren Mercedes had passed the checkered flag first, putting him in the points lead (25 points) for at least one week.

2011 champion, Red Bull Renault driver Sebastian Vettel (Germany) brought his car in second (18 points). Button's teammate, 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton (England was third (15 points) accross the finish line.

Below, are links to some review posts, including one audio podcast, and a couple highlights videos.


Qualifying - Hamilton heads McLaren one-two
Posted at Formula1.com on March 17, 2012

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button got their 2012 world championship campaign off to the best possible start as they took the top two positions on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on Saturday evening. And just to make things even better for the Woking team, Romain Grosjean put his Lotus third ahead of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel...


FIA post-qualifying press conference - Australia
Posted at Formula1.com on March 17, 2012

Drivers: 1 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 2 - Jenson Button (McLaren), 3 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus)...


Race - Button proves untouchable in Melbourne
Posted at Formula1.com on March 18, 2012

McLaren's Jenson Button drove a pluperfect race to take the lead of the world championship in Albert Park on Sunday, keeping his head and his lead even when a safety car intervention appeared to throw a beaten Sebastian Vettel a lifeline...


FIA post-race press conference - Australia
Posted at Formula1.com on March 18, 2012

Drivers: 1 - Jenson Button (McLaren); 2 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing); 3 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)...


Jenson Button Q&A: A very sweet victory
Posted at Formula1.com on March 18, 2012

Jenson Button was not favourite for the win, but he did it. He put it down to reacting better to the lights at the start - and McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton playing it fair into Turn 1. Whatever it was, it means the 2009 title holder leaves Melbourne with maximum points - and the sweet taste of having started the season by leaving five other F1 champions eating his dust...


Australia analysis - the perfect start to 2012
Posted at Formula1.com on March 19, 2012

To fans' delight, pre-season predictions of even closer racing proved correct in Melbourne, with an epic Australian Grand Prix, won in style by Jenson Button. There was little between the race pace of McLaren and Red Bull; it took all Fernando Alonso's skills to haul Ferrari into contention; and the midfield action was frenetic, with just 0.1s the difference between eighth and 11th place as the chequered flag fell...

Keeping Track F1 Podcast - 20th March 2012 - Episode 10
Posted at Australian Grand Prix Corporation on March 20, 2012




Formula 1 Australia 2012 Grand Prix Highlights
HD [ F1 Official Race Edit ]
Uploaded to YouTube by FaniemTV




BBC Formula 1 2012 - 01 Australian GP
I was pretty nervous - Jenson Button
Uploaded to YouTube by SeventyBuckss




F1: Australian GP Results - 2012
Posted at SpeedTV.com

F1: Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett take a look at the results from Australia. Jenson Button pulls away from the field for the first win of 2012.