2007 Australian F1 Grand Prix Race Report & Results

Event: Australian Grand Prix
Track: Albert Park Circuit

Weather: dry, warm, sunny

Kimi RAIKKONEN won his 10th F1 World Championship race at the 2007 Australian F1 GP, in his first race for Ferrari after the switch from McLaren. The Ferrari driver started from pole and won at Albert Park by 7.242 seconds from Fernando Alonso. It was the 196th win for the Ferrari F1 team and Raikkonens 1st for Ferrari, on a day when Lewis Hamilton scored a debut F1 podium in third for McLaren.

Raikkonen debut pole for Ferrari

Melbourne on 18 March 2007 opened with Kimi Raikkonen taking pole with a 1:26.072 lap on his Ferrari debut, replacing the retired Michael Schumacher. Alonso, in his first race for McLaren, qualified second. Heidfeld third for BMW Sauber, Lewis Hamilton a stunning fourth on his F1 debut. The season had begun with three genuine title contenders and one 22-year-old rookie who might yet be the fourth.

Race day: Raikkonen wins on debut, Hamilton lands on debut podium

Raikkonen led 52 of the 58 laps at Albert Park, controlling the race from pole to flag. He won by 7.242 seconds from Alonso, with Lewis Hamilton scoring a debut podium in third at his very first Grand Prix, an astonishing achievement that reset expectations for the McLaren rookie season. Heidfeld fourth for BMW Sauber, Fisichella fifth for Renault, Massa sixth for Ferrari. Raikkonen set the fastest lap on lap 41 with a 1:25.235.

Hamilton debut podium, McLaren new-era declared

Lewis Hamiltons third on debut was the first F1 podium by a debutant since Villeneuve at Australia 1996. It reset the paddocks understanding of what the McLaren rookie could do. Alonso, who had won the previous two championships, arrived at McLaren as the number-one driver, but Hamiltons pace was clearly worth watching.

Championship: Raikkonen 10, Alonso 8, Hamilton 6

Raikkonen led with 10, Alonso 8, Hamilton 6, Heidfeld 5. Ferrari on 13 constructors, McLaren 14, BMW Sauber 8. The 2007 season had begun with three top teams within one point and a debut podium for a driver who would change F1 for a decade.

Classification 2007 Australian F1 GP

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Car & Engine	Grid	Laps	Led	Time	Pts
1	6	KimiRäikkönen	Ferrari	Ferrari F2007Ferrari 056	1	58	52	1:25:28.770	10
2	1	FernandoAlonso	McLaren	McLaren MP4/22Mercedes FO 108	2	58	2	1:25:36.012+7.242s	8
3	2	LewisHamilton	McLaren	McLaren MP4/22Mercedes FO 108	4	58	4	1:25:47.365+18.595s	6
4	9	NickHeidfeld	BMW Sauber	BMW Sauber F1.07BMW P86	3	58		1:26:07.533+38.763s	5
5	3	GiancarloFisichella	Renault	Renault R27Renault RS27	6	58		1:26:35.239+1:06.469	4
6	5	FelipeMassa	Ferrari	Ferrari F2007Ferrari 056	22	58		1:26:35.575+1:06.805	3
7	16	NicoRosberg	Williams	Williams FW29Toyota RVX-07	12	57		+1 lap	2
8	11	RalfSchumacher	Toyota	Toyota TF107Toyota RVX-07	9	57		+1 lap	1
9	12	JarnoTrulli	Toyota	Toyota TF107Toyota RVX-07	8	57		+1 lap
10	4	HeikkiKovalainen	Renault	Renault R27Renault RS27	13	57		+1 lap
11	8	RubensBarrichello	Honda	Honda RA107Honda RA807E	16	57		+1 lap
12	22	TakumaSato	Super Aguri	Super Aguri SA07Honda RA807E	10	57		+1 lap
13	15	MarkWebber	Red Bull	Red Bull RB3Renault RS27	7	57		+1 lap
14	18	VitantonioLiuzzi	Toro Rosso	Toro Rosso STR2Ferrari 056	19	57		+1 lap
15	7	JensonButton	Honda	Honda RA107Honda RA807E	14	57		+1 lap
16	23	AnthonyDavidson	Super Aguri	Super Aguri SA07Honda RA807E	11	56		+2 laps
17	20	AdrianSutil	Spyker	Spyker F8-VIIFerrari 056	20	56		+2 laps
DNF	17	AlexanderWurz	Williams	Williams FW29Toyota RVX-07	15	48		Collision
DNF	14	DavidCoulthard	Red Bull	Red Bull RB3Renault RS27	18	48		Collision
DNF	10	RobertKubica	BMW Sauber	BMW Sauber F1.07BMW P86	5	36		Gearbox
DNF	19	ScottSpeed	Toro Rosso	Toro Rosso STR2Ferrari 056	17	28		Puncture
DNF	21	ChristijanAlbers	Spyker	Spyker F8-VIIFerrari 056	21	10		Accident

Fastest lap: 1:25.235 min. by Kimi Raikkonen

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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