2008 Australian Grand Prix
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The 2008 Australian Grand Prix is the season-opening race for the 2008 Formula One season and will emanate from the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. The event, which will run from the 14th through the 16th of March, will be the 13th race in the circuit and the 23rd F1 race in the country.
Pre-race events begin on Thursday, 13th of March with a press conference at 3:00 PM. The next day, race drivers will troop to the circuit for the Friday practices with the first taking place at 10:00 in the morning and the next at 2:00 in the afternoon. Drivers will have one last practice on Saturday, the 15th of March at 11:00 AM before the qualifying round takes place at 2:00 in the afternoon. On Sunday, drivers will have their photos taken 1:55 in the afternoon followed by a track parade and the Mass Flag Drop. The actual race will begin at 3:30 PM. (All times are subject to change)
The circuit has not undergone major changes since the 2007 Australian GP. A total of eight gates can be found around the perimeter of the circuit, and along the side of each gate a ticket booth may be found.
World Champion Kimi Raikkonen won last year's Australian GP, winning the race from pole position and establishing the fastest lap at 1:25.235. Both McLarens, driven by Lewis Hamilton and former driver Fernando Alonso, came in with podium finishes. Raikkonen will begin his title defense in Melbourne while the Force India team, comprised of Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella will be making its debut. Legendary multiple time world champion Michael Schumacher still holds the lap record at 1:24.125 in 2004.
Circuit History
Formula One came to Australia in 1985 with Adelaide as its host. But the growing interest of the Melbourne motorsport community to conduct a race in their hometown paved the way for the Australian Grand Prix to be brought over to Melbourne with the initiative of then recently elected premier of the State of Victoria, Jeff Kennett.
By 1993, the city of Melbourne and Formula One have reached an agreement, but with the contract with Adelaide not to expire until 1995, Kennett has a couple of years to prepare the venue of the event. A track was developed in Melbourne's beautiful Albert Park with part of it using closed-off public roads. A year later, the city was able to host the first round of the World Championship. Since 2000, the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park has consistently hosted Formula One's season-opening race.
Resources
External Links
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