1996 Australian Grand Prix

1996 Australian Grand Prix
Race 1 of 16 in the 1996 Formula One World Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details
Date	10 March 1996
Official name	1996 Transurban Australian Grand Prix
Location	Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit Melbourne, Australia
Course	Temporary street circuit
Course length	5.302 km (3.295 miles)
Distance	58 laps, 307.516 km (191.110 miles)
Weather	Dry with temperatures reaching up to 23 °C (73 °F)[1]
Pole position
Driver	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
Time	1:32.371
Fastest lap
Driver	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
Time	1:33.421 on lap 27
Podium
First	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault
Second	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams-Renault
Third	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari
Lap leaders

The 1996 Australian Grand Prix (officially the 1996 Transurban Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Melbourne on 10 March 1996. It was the first race of the 1996 Formula One World Championship, and the first Australian Grand Prix to be held at Melbourne, taking over from Adelaide.

The 58-lap race was won by Damon Hill, driving a Williams-Renault. Hill's teammate Jacques Villeneuve, making his Formula One debut, took pole position and led for most of the race, before an oil leak enabled Hill to catch and pass him in the closing laps. Eddie Irvine finished third in a Ferrari.