Australian Grand Prix winner list: From Sebastian Vettel to Carlos Sainz

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix will be held from March 13th to 16th this month, and F1 fans can't wait to witness the start of the 2025 season. Australia is traditionally the season opener, but in the last few years, it was alternated with Bahrain. COVID-19 was the biggest reason for Australia losing its season-opener status. But this year, everything is going to normal as Australia took its rightful place as the F1 season opener. But before that, let us check out the past winners of the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Here is the Australian Grand Prix winner list from the past 

2018- Sebastian Vettel

The 2018 F1 season was one of the best seasons in F1 as the two greats, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, battled for the ultimate title. It was also the fight for the fifth title as both the drivers had 4 Formula 1 titles under their name. Lewis Hamilton qualified the fastest and said he will wipe the smile out of Vettel’s face during the press meet. But during the main race, it was the opposite as Vettel jumped Hamilton after a masterclass strategic pitstop from Ferrari. And as Sebastian said in reply, he and Kimi Raikkonen partied after winning the race in Australia. 

2019- Valtteri Bottas

Hamilton continued his good form in the 2019 Australian Grand Prix by qualifying the fastest ahead of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas. But during the start, the Finn overtook the Brit, keeping his lead throughout the race and clinched pole at the 2019 Australian GP. Max Verstappen finished in P3 behind Lewis Hamilton and brought Honda’s first ever podium since their return in 2015 with McLaren. Pre-season favourite Sebastian Vettel finished P4 ahead of his new teammate Charles Leclerc at P5.

2022- Charles Leclerc

After missing out the two previous years due to Covid-19 restrictions, Australia returned to the F1 calendar in 2022. The Monegasque driver started the race in Pole position and won the race without dropping a sweat. Max Verstappen suffered a fuel issue in the middle of the race and retired. This gave leclerc a huge advantage, and with no challengers, he won the race comfortably ahead of Sergio Perez and George Russell. 

2023- Max Verstappen

This race was chaotic, with multiple crashes during the event bringing the red flag three times. Max Verstappen lost his lead to Russell at the start, but the Brit's bad luck chased him faster than he expected. A red flag at an unfortunate time ruined his race, and Verstappen took the lead after he overtook Lewis Hamilton in lap 12. Max Verstappen won the race, keeping Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso behind him in P2 and P3. 

2024- Carlos Sainz Jr

The Spaniard came back from Appendix surgery at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was the pole sitter and was leading the race. Due to a brake failure, he retired from the race on lap 4, leaving the way clear for Carlos Sainz Jr. Sainz had just returned from an Appendix surgery two weeks before the race. 

Ferrari used a good strategy to undercut the McLaren driver Lando Norris and made it a 1-2 finish for the Maranello-based team. This was Carlos Sainz’s first win out of the two last year. But in 2025, many claim either Ferrari or McLaren will win the opening race in Australia. It would be nice to see hometown boy Oscar Piastri winning the Season opener for McLaren.

Also Read: F1 2025 Pre-Season Testing: Performers and Biggest Disappointments