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Australian Grand Prix: Full coverage

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Vettel win offers hope of close-fought season (1:30)

As Sebastian Vettel wins the season opener in Melbourne, Jonathan Legard looks ahead with hope for the rest of the year. (1:30)

A round-up of all of our coverage of the Australian Grand Prix, which kicks off the 2018 Formula One season.

Rolex Australian Grand Prix Schedule on ESPN Networks (all times Eastern)

Thur., March 22
Practice 1 9 p.m. ESPN3

Friday, March 23
Practice 2 1 a.m. ESPN3
Practice 3 10 p.m. ESPNEWS

Sat., March 24
Qualifying 2 a.m. ESPN2

Sun., March 25
On the Grid 12:30 a.m. ESPN2
Race 1 a.m. ESPN2
Race (encore) 11 a.m. ESPN2
Race (encore) 1 p.m. ESPNEWS
Race (encore) 9 p.m. ESPNEWS

Race

Vettel stuns Hamilton to win in Melbourne
Sebastian Vettel won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix against the odds after taking advantage of a Virtual Safety Car to beat Lewis Hamilton to victory.

Story of the race: Sebastian Vettel wipes smile off Lewis Hamilton's face
ESPN rounds up the main talking points from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix which, for the second year in succession, was won by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Who said what after the Australian Grand Prix
ESPN rounds up all the reaction from up and down the Melbourne paddock following the 2018 Australian Grand Prix.

Sainz almost vomited during Australian Grand Prix
As well as battling his rivals on track, Carlos Sainz spent the final portion of the Australian Grand Prix fighting against a queasy stomach.

Raikkonen surprised Ferrari kept him in dark over Vettel's strategy
Kimi Raikkonen said he did not feel aggrieved to see teammate Sebastian Vettel win the Australian Grand Prix, although he was surprised Ferrari did not keep him informed about the German's strategy during the race.

'Heartbreaking' Haas retirements down to human error
Haas' hopes of scoring its best-ever Formula One result at the Australian Grand Prix were ended by two separate human errors, according to team boss Guenther Steiner.

Mercedes admits its software cost Hamilton his shot at victory
Mercedes admits it got its maths wrong at the Australian Grand Prix, costing Lewis Hamilton a possible victory at the opening round of the season.

Sirotkin's F1 debut ended by loose sandwich bag
However long his motor racing career lasts, Sergey Sirotkin is unlikely to ever suffer the same issue which prompted him to retire from his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton: I wish strategy was more in my hands
Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated by the intricacies of modern Formula One racing after Mercedes' strategy software cost him a likely victory at the Australian Grand Prix.

2018 Australian GP strategy guide
ESPN takes a look at the best strategy options for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Qualifying

Stunning Hamilton lap beats Ferrari drivers to pole
Lewis Hamilton turned in a thrilling late lap to take the pole position at the Australian Grand Prix by 0.66s from the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Story of qualifying: Hamilton makes history in Australia with blinding lap
ESPN rounds up the main talking points from qualifying at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton claimed his seventh pole position Down Under.

F1 confirms Netflix documentary on 2018 season
Formula One has confirmed it is working with Netflix to produce an original docu-series around the 2018 season.

Hamilton jokes pole lap was to 'wipe smile off' Vettel's face
The competitive edge between Formula One's two four-time world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, was clear to see after the former claimed pole for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen: Ferrari beatable without Q3 error
Max Verstappen says he only has himself to blame for failing to beat the Ferraris to a spot on the front row of the grid.

Ricciardo: Hamilton's pole lap like a pie in the face
Daniel Ricciardo says Lewis Hamilton's pole position lap at the Australian Grand Prix was like Mercedes showing the finger to the rest of the paddock and throwing a pie in everyone's face.

Bottas hit with gearbox penalty after 27G crash
Valtteri Bottas will start from 15th on the grid at the opening round of the Formula One season in Australia after his accident in qualifying resulted in a gearbox change and a five-place penalty.

Wolff calls Hamilton's Melbourne pole lap 'an outlier'
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has labelled Lewis Hamilton's pole position lap at the Australian Grand Prix as an "outlier", saying the gap his driver held over the rest of the field was down to finding the car's sweet spot.

Alonso expects 'big points' for McLaren despite Q2 elimination
Despite his elimination from Q2 in Melbourne Fernando Alonso is expecting McLaren to push for a top-six finish at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ecclestone to face further bribery and corruption charges
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and Bambino Holdings Limited could be forced to pay significant damages to Bluewaters Communications Limited should the London High Court find in favour of the claimant during a trial scheduled to begin on 1 October 2019.

Magnussen 'would love' to beat former teams McLaren and Renault
Kevin Magnussen hopes Haas can maintain its current level of competitiveness after winning the midfield battle in qualifying in Melbourne.

Final Practice

Vettel quickest in wet-dry final Australian GP practice
Sebastian Vettel topped the final practice session for the Australian Grand Prix as one of just three drivers to complete a flying lap on slick tyres in drying conditions.

Ricciardo blasts stewards over Australian GP grid penalty
Daniel Ricciardo has lashed out at the Australian Grand Prix stewards after receiving a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow during a red flag period in FP2.

Friday Practice

Hamilton edges Verstappen as Red Bull closes gap in second practice
Lewis Hamilton maintained his place at the top of the timesheets after practice two in Australia to ensure opening day of the 2018 season belonged to Mercedes, but some impressive Red Bull pace has the world champions locked in a tight battle.

Hamilton dominant in opening Australian GP practice
Lewis Hamilton ensured Mercedes picked up where it left off in 2017 by topping the timesheets in the opening practice session of the Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Ferrari row over Mekies signing
The new Formula One season is less than 48 hours old, but two of its biggest teams have already engaged in a war of words in the paddock.

Who said what after Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix
ESPN rounds up all the reaction from up and down the Melbourne paddock following Friday practice for the 2018 Australian Grand Prix.

Trackside analysis: Who looks quick in Melbourne?
ESPN's Laurence Edmondson analyses a busy Friday at Albert Park.

Grosjean excited by Haas pace in Melbourne
An impressive winter testing suggested Haas could be the new leader of the midfield pack and Friday in Melbourne went some distance in proving that theory.

Wolff: More diversity in paddock would do us good
Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has backed his star driver's demand for greater diversity in Formula One.

Hamilton amazed by 'insane' speeds in Melbourne
Lewis Hamilton has described the speed he is able to tackle Albert Park's high-speed corners as "crazy" and "insane".

Ricciardo receives grid penalty at home race
Daniel Ricciardo will start his home race with a three-place grid penalty after he was caught speeding under red flags during second practice for the Australian Grand Prix.

Vettel names his 2018 Ferrari F1 car 'Loria'
Sebastian Vettel's tradition of naming his Formula One cars has continued with the christening of 'Loria', his 2018 Ferrari.

Verstappen relishing prospect of rain in Melbourne
Despite showing impressive pace in the dry in Friday practice at Albert Park, Max Verstappen says he would welcome rain in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo encouraged by long-run pace in Australia
An untimely red flag may have forced him to abort his best flying lap but Daniel Ricciardo insists he was never going to jump to the top of the timesheets during FP2 in Australia.

Vettel confident Ferrari has 'quite a lot' of pace in hand
Sebastian Vettel is confident Ferrari did not show anything close to its true performance in the opening practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix.

FIA launches 'F1 Future Stars' initiative
The FIA has announced the launch of its 'F1 Future Stars' initiative, which will see the introduction of child mascots at each grand prix weekend.

Build-up

Hamilton responds to Rosberg's 'inconsistency' jibe
Lewis Hamilton says former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was just trying to make headlines when he suggested inconsistency was his biggest weakness.

Ocon: I have to beat Perez this year
Esteban Ocon says he must beat Force India teammate Sergio Perez this year in order to advance his career after 2018.

F1 facing 'most important' six months of its history, says Brundle
Driver-turned pundit Martin Brundle believes Formula One is currently at a pivotal moment in its history.

Alonso: McLaren should be at the front by mid-season
Fernando Alonso knows McLaren won't be in the running for victory at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, but says it "should" be fighting Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull by mid-season.

Verstappen: Melbourne straights could be 'painful' for Red Bull
Max Verstappen is refusing to make predictions ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend, but is concerned Melbourne's straights may prove to be Red Bull's weakness.

Grosjean: 0.5s gap to Ferrari is possible
Romain Grosjean reckons Gene Haas' target of his team being within half a second of Ferrari is achievable.

Hamilton calls for greater diversity in F1, says 'nothing has changed'
Lewis Hamilton has again accused Formula One of lacking diversity ahead of the opening race of the new season.

Vettel: Mercedes the favourites... for now
Ferrari may not have set the benchmark during winter testing but it hasn't stopped Sebastian Vettel from labeling his car "great" ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Best bets for the 2018 Formula One season
ESPN examines the best bets ahead of the 2018 Formula One season.

Preview

Australian Grand Prix: Does F1 finally have a three-way battle?
ESPN previews the first race of the 2018 Formula One season, which takes place at Albert Park, Melbourne.

Video

Ricciardo on Verstappen rivalry: 'The more intense the better'
Daniel Ricciardo hopes his rivalry with teammate Max Verstappen can push the pair towards a championship challenge.

Melbourne all set for new Formula 1 season
The teams and drivers look ahead to the first race of the 2018 Formula 1 season in Melbourne, which features a record-breaking 21 races.

The Pit Stop: Predictions on what to expect for 2018
Jennie Gow and Sam Collins answer some of your top technical questions in the Pit Stop.

What can we expect for the 2018 F1 season?
ESPN's Jennie Gow and Sam Collins discuss what fans can expect from the new season as it kicks off this weekend in Australia.

Tech Corner: Making the most of Halo
Sam Collins joins Jennie Gow to explain how teams are making the Halo much more than an just an eyesore.

Engines ready for the Australian Grand Prix
With the Australian Grand Prix kicking off the 2018 season this weekend, Jennie Gow is here to reveal a few stats and facts about the race.