Round 1 · 10 March 1996
1996 Australian Grand Prix: results
Damon Hill (Williams) won the 1996 Australian Grand Prix, round 1 of the championship, held on 10 March 1996 at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit (Australia), starting from position 2. Jacques Villeneuve (Williams) and Eddie Irvine (Ferrari) completed the podium. Pole position went to Jacques Villeneuve.
Final classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Time / gap | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damon Hill | Williams | 2 | 1:32:50.400 | 10 | Finished |
| 2 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams | 1 | +38.020 s | 6 | Finished |
| 3 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari | 3 | +62.571 s | 4 | Finished |
| 4 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 7 | +77.037 s | 3 | Finished |
| 5 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren | 5 | +95.071 s | 2 | Finished |
| 6 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell | 10 | +1 Lap | 1 | +1 Lap |
| 7 | Olivier Panis | Ligier | 11 | +1 Lap | — | +1 Lap |
| 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber | 9 | +1 Lap | — | +1 Lap |
| 9 | Ricardo Rosset | Footwork | 18 | +2 Laps | — | +2 Laps |
| 10 | Pedro Diniz | Ligier | 20 | +2 Laps | — | +2 Laps |
| 11 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell | 15 | +3 Laps | — | +3 Laps |
| 12 | Pedro Lamy | Minardi | 17 | — | — | Safety belt |
| 13 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 4 | — | — | Brakes |
| 14 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Minardi | 16 | — | — | Clutch |
| 15 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan | 8 | — | — | Engine |
| 16 | David Coulthard | McLaren | 13 | — | — | Throttle |
| 17 | Jos Verstappen | Footwork | 12 | — | — | Engine |
| 18 | Jean Alesi | Benetton | 6 | — | — | Collision |
| 19 | Martin Brundle | Jordan | 19 | — | — | Collision |
| 20 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber | 14 | — | — | Collision |