The Australian Grand Prix has only been around since 1985 and it was held on the Adelaide street circuit. It was a popular track and it was always the last race of the season, so it saw some thrilling showdowns. The 1989 race was probably one of the wettest ever Grand Prix, and Alain Prost gave up after just one lap. In 1994 there was the contraversial collision between Schumacher and Hill, which gave Schumacher the title. The last race was held in 1995, which will be remembered for Mika Hakkinen's appalling accident there which nearly killed him.
So the Grand Prix was moved to Melbourne in 1996 and it proved an instant success. It was now the first race of the season, but there was drama on the first lap when Martin Brundle's Jordan did a few somersaults. That third corner has seen its fair share of crashes since then. Jacques Villeneuve nearly won his first ever race then in 1996, but an oil pressure problem forced him to back off from a thrilling battle with his team mate, Damon Hill, who won. 1997 was another thriller with Villeneuve being taken out at the first corner along with Herbert. David Coulthard won for McLaren, which was starting to show some signs of revival. There was another McLaren win in 1998, but it was contraversial. David Coulthard let team mate Mika Hakkinen through to win which sparked a row over team orders. There was yet another different winner in 1999 - Eddie Irvine taking a surprise victory for Ferrari after both McLarens and Michael Schumacher all suffered technical problems. Basically, Melbourne's layout and position on the calendar guarentee an exciting race. That was again proved in 2000 when Michael Schumacher won after countless bad luck in Australia. With Rubens Barrichello following him home, it was a Ferrari 1-2 and neither McLaren finished.
It is a short straight before the first corner, which is a chicane. There are not usually many problems here, but the next corner complex usually provides action on the first lap. After this there are a couple more chicanes before a curved back straight which leads onto another chicane, which is quite fast. after that, there is a fast corner (Hill)before the final corner complexes. Overtaking on all street circuits is hard, and Melbourne is no exception but there is oppurtunity at the first chicane and maybe the second corner. It is usually a race of high attrition, especially as it is the first race and it is also usually very hot. Drivers like it for the challenge and it is one of the highlights of the calendar.
RACE REPORTS
1999 - IRV SWERVES TO VICTORY
Australia '99 was the total opposite to last year's race. Everyone expected the McLarens to dominate and if not it would be Michael Schumacher. Nobody expected Eddie Irvine to win, but win he did.
At the first start the two Stewarts overheated, and so Rubens Barrichello took the spare car while Johnny Herbert sat out. Then Michael Schumacher couldn't select 1st gear, so he was sent to the back (like in Suzuka 1998). The race eventually restarted and the two McLarens led, but not for long. On lap 13, Coulthard got stuck into sixth gear and Hakkinen on lap 17 had more gremlins at the restart after a Safety Car period. This was due to Jaques Villeneuve's rear wing falling off. Alex Zanardi later spun, causing the safety car to come out again on lap 22. All Eddie had to do was get to the finish, fending off H-H Frentzen. Damon Hill's race ended early on lap 1 with a visit to the gravel trap and Jean Alesi also went out then with transmission problems. Ricardo Zonta, the BAR rookie, overheated and retired having driven a superb first race. The two Minardis also retired but both the Arrows finished. Giancarlo Fisichella was 4th while Alex Wurz spun with broken suspension. Rubens Barrichello was the best: he overcame starting last on the grid and getting a stop-go penalty as well as having an extra pit-stop to finish 5th.
1. Eddie Irvine
2. Heinz-Harald Frentzen
3. Ralf Schumacher
4. Giancarlo Fisichella
5. Rubens Barrichello
6. Pedro de la Rosa
FASTEST LAP: Michael Schumacher (1:32.112)
STAR DRIVE: Rubens Barrichello
2000 - FERRARI'S DREAM START
Pre-season: McLaren test miles and miles without any huge technical hitches while Ferrari say they will win this year (as they usually do!). Neither team tested together, so Melbourne would show who was faster. Everybody expected the McLarens to dominate and win, especially if their reliability was nearing that of Ferrari. But for those who got up early, a different story unfolded. Ferrari were on the pace from the start of the weekend, and after two shock retirements for McLaren, the two Ferraris cruised to the flag 1-2. But the question still was, "Who is faster?"
Michael Schumacher dominated the practice sessions, albeit a heavy shunt resembling his Silverstone accident in 1999. Some said this was due to pressure from his new team-mate, Rubens Barrichello. But when it came to qualifying, Schumacher's flying laps were very untidy so Mika Hakkinen was gifted Pole Position. Schumacher was on the fastest lap when David Coulthard crashed, so he had to abort. The front row was McLaren, second row Ferrari and third row Jordan. Eddie Irvine was 7th on Jaguar's debut, but his team-mate Johnny Herbert was down in 20th. Jenson Button, the British 20-year-old, was one below in 21st.
Jean Alesi and Prost were having a nightmare weekend, and he had to start the race from the pitlane. The start went well for the McLarens, but the Ferraris were slow and the Jordans took advantage. Frentzen passed Barrichello, while Schumacher held onto 3rd. Gene damaged his front wing in a collision at the first corner, so he had to pit to get it fixed. Johnny Herbert was also in trouble on the first lap, hitting Diniz and damaging his car, as well as having a clutch problem. From 21st, Jenson Button was up to 15th by the end of the first lap. Michael Schumacher and the McLarens pulled away from Frentzen and Barrichello. On lap 6, Pedro de la Rosa's impressive Arrows had a suspension failure and he smacked into a wall. Eddie Irvine was just behind, and he spun out in avoidance. Both Jaguars were now out. On the same lap, the second Arrows of Jos Verstappen had exactly the same failure. He kept control and it was repaired, but he was withdrawn later. While the mess was being cleared up, the Safety Car came out. When it pulled in, the top three once again pulled away. But on lap 10, David Coulthard pitted. He was in for some time, but when he came out his engine blew. Soon after, Hakkinen had the same problem and Schumacher was now in the lead. The two Ferraris soon pitted, Ross Brawn trying to get Barrichello past Frentzen. At the time, Trulli's Jordan went out in smoke and flames from a broken exhaust. Jenson Button was up to 4th, but he still had to make a pitstop. Frentzen and Button came in on the same lap, but there was a problem re-fuelling Frentzen's car, so that blew all chances of him getting ahead of Barrichello. The two Ferraris were at the front, and there was drama when Barrichello passed Schumacher for the lead, but it was only so that he could have a clean run leading up to his second pitstop. Then Frentzen went out with a gearbox problem. Ralf Schumacher was in third, and his debutant team-mate Button was heading for a point in 6th, until his engine blew. A battle between Salo and Zonta for 6th ended with Salo making the best - probably only - overtaking move of the whole race. So the race finished Schumacher M, Barrichelolo, Schumacher R, Villeneuve (scoring BAR's first ever points), Fisichella and Salo. After the race, Salo was disqualified for having a front-wimg irregularity so Zonta scored the final point.
Picture captions read down from top left.
1. Coulthard's qualifying crash stopped Schumacher's best run. He was lucky not to get hit by his rear wing.
2. Jenson Button's excellent debut ended in a puff of smoke.
3. Jaguar's debut, however, was a nichtmare!
4. Barrichello dramatically passed Schumacher, but it was only for a pitstop.
5. Arrows made excellent progress, but their suspension was suspect.
6. The first race of 2000 ended as it did in 1999 for McLaren - disaster.
TOP SIX
1. Michael Schumacher
2. Rubens Barrichello
3. Ralf Schumacher
4. Jacques Villeneuve
5. Giancarlo Fisichella
6. Ricardo Zonta
STAR DRIVE: Jenson Button for his performance on his debut, in which he was under a lot of pressure.
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