Pre-Race Statistics of the 2014 Australian GP

A new season, a new set of rules, a new start. F1 is back. We have three new drivers, one returning driver and only two teams that have kept the same drivers as last season.

This is the 30^th Australian Grand Prix, the 19^th at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. Eight of the 18 races have been won from pole position, and another three from second on the grid. Ferrari and McLaren have both won at the circuit six times, can either do it on Sunday and make it seven?

Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver at the circuit, winning four times and setting the lap record in 2004, with a time of 1:24.125 and an average speed of 227kph or 141mph. The last race was won by Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus last year, his new teammate Alonso came second with championship winner Vettel third.

Vettel and Ricciardo are the only two Red Bull drivers to have been promoted from the Toro Rosso team. Vitantonio Liuzzi is the only other driver to have driven for both teams, but Liuzzi started at Red Bull before moving down to Toro Rosso.

Toro Rosso teenager Daniil Kvyat is only the second Russian F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov being the first only a few years ago. Kevin Magnussen is the fifth Danish F1 driver, his dad Jan is the only one to have even scored a point or raced more than five times. There were seven Swedish F1 drivers active in the 70s, but only two since. Marcus Ericsson is the first Swede in F1 since Stefan Johansson in 1991.

The Silly Stats

The amount of fuel needed for all 22 cars in the race is about the same as 15 bath tubs full of delicious petrol.

Each car is fuelled for the race with enough petrol to fill the average washing machine drum.