Vaibhav Arora with Himanshu Shekhar
It’s that time of the year again when you can look forward to some fast paced pulsating motorsport action as the Formula One season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix underway on 16th March at the Albert Park in Melbourne.
Being the first race of the season, the Australian GP holds a special place in the Formula One calendar as it sets the tone for the season by indicating the form and preparation of various teams as well as the drivers.
Although the race has been held at various venues around the country since 1928, it was only in 1985 that it was included in the Formula One Championship. Initially, the Australian Grand Prix was held at the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide until 1995 when it was moved to Melbourne. While Michael Schumacher with 4 victories has been the most successful driver, Ferrari has been the leading team, having emerged victorious in 10 Grand Prixs.
Grand Prix have been held in Australia for years, but it wasn’t until 1985 that the country became a part of the F1 World Championship, when the final round of the season was held at the Adelaide Street Circuit, replacing the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The Adelaide circuit, which is considered to be one of the best and the most testing tracks in the world, played host to the Australian Grand Prix for the first ten years, after which it was decided that the race be moved to Albert Park in Melbourne. The rebuilt circuit finally played host to the race in 1996. With 17 turns and a stretch of 5.3 km, the Melbourne circuit is considered to be a smooth track where the drivers can hit full throttle and test the limits of their machines.
The first race at Melbourne in 1996 got worldwide coverage as a result of a massive crash involving Martin Brundle of team Jordan. It was Williams’ Damon Hill however, who conquered all odds to emerge victorious.
The next two years witnessed McLaren set the track on fire with David Coulthard reigning supreme in 1997 while Mika Hakkinen emerged triumphant in 1998.
Ferrari had to wait until 1999 to win their first Melbourne Grand Prix but more surprisingly it was Irishman Eddie Irvine and not star performer Michael Schumacher who won the accolades for them. Schumacher came back strongly in the following years with some impressive performances to win three consecutive races. Kimi Raikkonen emerged winner during the year 2007.
