1996 Australian Grand Prix

The 1996 Australian Grand Prix, otherwise officially advertised as the LXI Transurban Australian Grand Prix, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, on the 10 March 1996.'Australian GP, 1996', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr582.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019) The race, which was staged only four months after the previous Australian Grand Prix, would see Damon Hill claim victory over rookie teammate Jacques Villeneuve.
It had been a very busy four months in between the two races, not just because all of the equipment from the previous Grand Prix had to be shipped from Adelaide via road to the pseudo-purpose built Albert Park Circuit. Indeed, it had been a sustained political campaign by local politicians to take the Grand Prix from Adelaide, and had resulted in a lot of investment and protest to create a new F1 venue.
Furthermore, the F1 paddock had was virtually unrecognisable compared to how it had been in late October, with numerous driver changes. The most high-profile of these would be the move of defending Champion Michael Schumacher from to , with the Scuderia also hiring Eddie Irvine from to reignite their F1 programme.
Elsewhere, had dropped David Coulthard, who found himself a seat at , and instead hired 1995 CART Champion Jacques Villeneuve to replace Damon Hill. Benetton, meanwhile, would pick up both exiled Ferrari drivers, namely Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, while Jordan hired Martin Brundle to replace Irvine.
There were also new rules regarding qualifying, with just one session to determine the grid order, and a new "107% rule" to prevent slower drivers from getting onto the grid. The result was a shock pole position for the debuting Villeneuve ahead of Hill, while Irvine surprisingly beat Schumacher to third.
Villenueve duly aced his maiden F1 start to claim an early lead, while Irvine managed to squeeze Hill into turn one and open the door for both Ferraris to pass the Brit. However, the race would be brought to a spectacular halt as the field poured into turn three, with a red flag thrown as a result of a huge crash.
The cause would be Alesi, who threw his Benetton across the circuit on the run to turn three, causing the rest of the field to slam on the brakes. Coulthard would brake so hard that his car snapped sideways into the path of Johnny Herbert, with his sudden change of direction catching Brundle out. The #12 Jordan duly went sailing over the top of the , spiralling into the air before slamming down in the gravel in two separate pieces.
Fortunately Brundle was unhurt, and duly went sprinting from the medical car to find F1 doctor Sid Watkins to get permission to take the restart. He was subsequently granted the chance to take the spare Jordan, and duly joined the rest of the field in lining up on the grid for the full race restart.
This time Hill would get away flawlessly, and hence denied the two Ferraris a chance to challenge into the first corner. Irvine went with them but would quickly forfeit third to Schumacher, with the German just managing to keep in touch with the Williams' before his first stop.
Schumacher would be left half a minute behind the Williams on his two-stop strategy, although that would become academic when a brake issue left him on the sidelines. Irvine hence inherited third place in his now battered Ferrari, having received a whack from Alesi after the Frenchman mistimed a lunge.
Out front, meanwhile, it seemed as if Villeneuve would become one of only a handful of drivers to claim victory on their debut, until an oil leak caused his pace to collapse late on. Hill duly swept past to secure the win ahead of the Canadian, while Irvine was a lonely third to complete the podium.
Notably, Hill's fourteenth career victory would leave him level on the all-time winner's list with his father Graham Hill.
==Background==
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Michael Schumacher 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F310 	 	046 3.0 V10 	
2 	Eddie Irvine 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F310 	 	046 3.0 V10 	
3 	Jean Alesi 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B196 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	Mild Seven Benetton Renault 	 	B196 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
5 	Damon Hill 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW18 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW18 	 	RS8 3.0 V10 	
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	Marlboro McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/11 	 	FO 110D 3.0 V10 	
8 	David Coulthard 	Marlboro McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4/11 	 	FO 110D 3.0 V10 	
9 	Olivier Panis 	Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS43 	 	MF301HA 3.0 V10 	
10 	Pedro Diniz 	Equipe Ligier Gauloises Blondes 	 	JS43 	 	MF301HA 3.0 V10 	
11 	Rubens Barrichello 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	196 	 	A12 3.0 V10 	
12 	Martin Brundle 	B&H Total Jordan Peugeot 	 	196 	 	A12 3.0 V10 	
14 	Johnny Herbert 	Red Bull Sauber Ford 	 	C15 	 	JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 	
15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	Red Bull Sauber Ford 	 	C15 	 	JD Zetec-R 3.0 V8 	
16 	Ricardo Rosset 	Footwork Hart 	 	FA17 	 	830 3.0 V8 	
17 	Jos Verstappen 	Footwork Hart 	 	FA17 	 	830 3.0 V8 	
18 	Ukyo Katayama 	Tyrrell Yamaha 	 	024 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
19 	Mika Salo 	Tyrrell Yamaha 	 	024 	 	OX11A 3.0 V10 	
20 	Pedro Lamy 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M195B 	 	EDM 3.0 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M195B 	 	EDM 3.0 V8 	
22 	Luca Badoer 	Forti Corse 	 	FG01B 	 	EDD 3.0 V8 	
23 	Andrea Montermini 	Forti Corse 	 	FG01B 	 	EDD 3.0 V8 	
Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Report===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Gap 	Ave. Speed
1 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	1:32.371 	— 	206.636 km/h
2 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	1:32.509 	+0.138s 	206.328 km/h
3 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	1:32.889 	+0.518s 	205.484 km/h
4 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:33.125 	+0.754s 	204.963 km/h
5 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:34.054 	+1.683s 	202.939 km/h
6 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	1:34.257 	+1.886s 	202.502 km/h
7 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:34.344 	+1.973s 	202.315 km/h
8 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	1:34.474 	+2.103s 	202.037 km/h
9 	15 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:34.494 	+2.123s 	201.994 km/h
10 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	1:34.832 	+2.461s 	201.274 km/h
11 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:35.330 	+2.959s 	200.222 km/h
12 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	1:35.338 	+2.967s 	200.206 km/h
13 	8 	David Coulthard 	 	1:35.351 	+2.980s 	200.178 km/h
14 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:35.453 	+3.082s 	199.964 km/h
15 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:35.715 	+3.344s 	199.417 km/h
16 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	1:35.898 	+3.527s 	199.036 km/h
17 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	1:36.109 	+3.738s 	198.600 km/h
18 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	1:36.198 	+3.827s 	198.416 km/h
19 	12 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:36.286 	+3.915s 	198.234 km/h
20 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	1:36.298 	+3.927s 	198.210 km/h
107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837 	107% Time: 1:38.837
NC 	21 	Luca Badoer 	 	1:39.202 	+6.831s 	192.407 km/h
NC 	22 	Andrea Montermini 	 	1:42.087 	+9.716s 	186.970 km/h
Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Transurban Australian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1996/races/638/australia/qualifying-0.html, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'Australia 1996: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Grid===
** Coulthard and Brundle would restart the race from the pitlane.
*† Herbert was unable to take the restart due to Frentzen using the spare car.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Damon Hill 	 	58 	1:32:50.491 	2 	10
2 	6 	Jacques Villeneuve 	 	58 	+38.020s 	1 	6
3 	2 	Eddie Irvine 	 	58 	+1:02.571 	3 	4
4 	4 	Gerhard Berger 	 	58 	+1:17.037 	7 	3
5 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	58 	+1:35.071 	5 	2
6 	19 	Mika Salo 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	10 	1
7 	9 	Olivier Panis 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	11 	
8 	15T 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	9 	
9 	16 	Ricardo Rosset 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	18 	
10 	10 	Pedro Diniz 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	20 	
11 	18 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	55 	+3 Laps 	15 	
Ret 	20 	Pedro Lamy 	 	42 	Belts 	17 	
Ret 	1 	Michael Schumacher 	 	32 	Brakes 	4 	
Ret 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	32 	Clutch 	16 	
Ret 	11 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	29 	Engine 	8 	
Ret 	8T 	David Coulthard 	 	24 	Throttle 	13 	
Ret 	17 	Jos Verstappen 	 	15 	Engine 	12 	
Ret 	3 	Jean Alesi 	 	9 	Collision 	6 	
Ret 	12T 	Martin Brundle 	 	1 	Collision 	19 	
Ret 	14 	Johnny Herbert 	 	0 	Collision 	14 	
DNQ 	22 	Luca Badoer 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	23 	Andrea Montermini 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)	Source:'Australia 1996: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* First World Championship Grand Prix to be staged at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.
** This was also the first Australian Grand Prix to be held in Melbourne since the 1956 Australian Grand Prix.
* Rubens Barrichello entered his 50th Grand Prix.
* Twentieth entry for Mika Salo.
* Debut race for Jacques Villeneuve, Giancarlo Fisichella and Ricardo Rosset.'1. Australia 1996', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1996/australie.aspx, (Accessed 12/08/2019)'1996 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1996&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 12/08/2019)
* Maiden pole position for Villeneuve.
* Fourteenth career victory for Damon Hill.
* secured their 84th win as a constructor.
** registered their 75th win as an engine supplier.
* Villeneuve claimed his first podium finish.
** This was also Villeneuve's first points finish.
* Maiden fastest lap recorded by Villenueve.
** This was also the 50th fastest lap to be recorded by a car using #6 as its race number.
==Standings==
An opening day victory for Damon Hill left the Brit atop the Championship, with no controversial investigations to take away his points. Jacques Villeneuve, meanwhile, would open his maiden F1 campaign in second, with Eddie Irvine in third after his debut. Gerhard Berger was next ahead of Mika Häkkinen, while Mika Salo completed the early top-six.
In the Constructors Championship it had been an ominously strong afternoon for , who left Australia with sixteen points to their name. That left them twelve ahead of Ferrari in second after the opening race, with a point further back in third. and had also got on the board at the opening round.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Damon Hill 	10 	
2 	Jacques Villeneuve 	6 	
3 	Eddie Irvine 	4 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	3 	
5 	Mika Häkkinen 	2 	
6 	Mika Salo 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	16 	
2 	 	4 	
3 	 	3 	
4 	 	2 	
5 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1996 Grands Prix
Category:Australian Grand Prix