Australian Grand Prix – Key highlights

This race takes place on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. It is a semi-urban track that replaced the race previously held in Adelaide in 1996, which used to be the season opener for Formula 1.

After two consecutive cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, its organization is postponed to the third position in the calendar for 2022 and 2023.

McLaren Mercedes / Brawn GP: Uncontested Domination

The year 1998 marked the comeback of the McLaren Mercedes team. After being dominated by Renault engines since 1992 with Williams and Benetton, the English team, greatly aided by the arrival of engineer Adrian Newey, concocts an unbeatable race car at the beginning of the season.

This is how Mika Hakkinen wins the race ahead of his teammate David Coulthard, both of them had at least one lap ahead of their followers.

In 2009, it was the Brawn GP team that caused a sensation. With the ingenuity of engineer Ross Brawn, this team quickly emerged from the ashes of the Honda team, and their racing car was unrivaled at the beginning of the season.

A grey area in the technical regulations allowed the team to develop a “double diffuser” system.

The accident between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica at the end of the Grand Prix evened out the gaps, thanks to the intervention of the safety car, however their opponents clearly had no chance of winning.

A race that reveals talents

It was customary to say that the one who won the Melbourne Grand Prix had a great chance of becoming the world champion at the end of the year. On one hand, because winning the first race means that their car is well designed. And on the other hand, because being the first race of the championship, all the drivers are hungry for victory and often the best talents manage to showcase themselves right from the start of the competition.

Thus, in 24 races in Melbourne, 13 winning drivers also clinched the title at the end of the year. This trend has proven to be less accurate since 2012.

This is how Jacques Villeneuve, in his first Formula 1 race, came very close to accomplishing a feat. After securing pole position and dominating a good part of the Grand Prix, he had to slow down his pace to avoid engine failure. In fact, during the race, a driving error forced him off track and unfortunately affected the reliability of his Renault engine. Nevertheless, he still finished second behind his teammate Damon Hill and made a strong impression in his first race. It was actually Hill who would be crowned champion in 1996.

We can also note Kimi Räikkönen’s brilliant debut, who finished 6th (1 point) in 2001 in his first race behind the wheel of his Sauber.

Mark Webber, the local hero in 2002, also had a successful first race by finishing 5th (2 points) behind the wheel of his modest Minardi.

In 2009, it was the rookie Sebastian Buemi who finished 8th and scored his first point.

And in 2014, it was even the podium that Kevin Magnussen went on to conquer for his first Formula 1 Grand Prix with McLaren. Another rookie, Daniil Kvyat, finished 9th with his Toro Rosso.

A 2022 edition marked by the promise of Ferrari

A beautiful promise that so many fans of the prancing horse stable have been hoping for many years.

Indeed, Charles Leclerc, behind the wheel of a very powerful SF-75, achieved his first grand slam and his second career hat-trick last year.

He thus obtained the pole position, the victory, and the fastest lap in the race, but he also achieved the feat of leading the race from start to finish. A truly impressive performance, considering the pit stops made during the race.