Australian Grand Prix

The pinnacle of motor racing in Australia, the Australian Grand Prix is an event held annually as part of the Formula One season. It is currently held at held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park in Melbourne, having previously being held at the Adelaide Street Circuit until 1996. Melbourne is well and truly the home of Australian racing now though, with the best drivers from around the World enjoying their visit every single year. McLaren driver Jenson Button recently described the circuit as “one of the classic races and one of the greatest racetracks in the world” and this sums up nicely the legacy of this famous event.

2011 Season

With the Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled due to civil unrest in the country, the 2011 Australian Grand Prix became the season opener. It was held on 27th March 2011 and was won by Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. The German produced a dominant display, storming into pole position before winning the race at relative ease to leave some questioning whether he can be caught this year.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished in 2nd position, while Renault’s Vitaly Petrov became the first Russian to finish on the podium in third place. It was an extremely entertaining race and one which the millions of viewers across the world enjoyed very much. It was worth the wait after the first Grand Prix of the year was cancelled.

Overview

If the Adelaide Grand Prix was well know for its party atmosphere, the Melbourne Grand Prix was initially famous for its controversy. Many protested against the move to Albert Park as they believed a public park was being destroyed for the sake of one race a year. It is perhaps credit to the circuit and the organisers that the race in Melbourne is as popular as it is today.

Looking at the circuit specifically, it is 5.303 km in length, with the cars covering the 307.574 km distance in 58 laps. The lap record of 1:24.125 is held by Michael Schumacher who achieved the feat in 2004. There are 16 corners as part of a circuit that is well known for being a smooth and high-speed test for Formula One teams and drivers. It is many drivers favourite race of the entire campaign, that is for sure.

History

An event titled as the Australian Grand Prix is believed to have been held as early as 1927, however it is a more respected view to suggest that it was a year later and under the name “100 Miles Road Race” where the Australian Grand Prix first began. It is then suggested that Mount Panorama held the first post-war Grand Prix in 1947, with modern Grand Prix machinery beginning to flow through.

It wasn’t until 1985 when Australia became part of the Formula One World Championship though and this is where the fun really started. The last race of the season would be held in Adelaide on a circuit that was widely accepted as one of the most entertaining ever. The move to Melbourne in 1996 followed, funded by Melbourne businessman Ron Walker who worked with the Kennett government to make the move happen.

For the opening race in 1996, the promotional theme was “Melbourne – What a Great Place for the Race”, something 401,000 people certainly agreed with as they became part of a record that still stands for numbers attending the event. Still going strong in 2011, the Melbourne GP celebrated its 10th running in 2005 and the Formula One season would certainly not be the same without it.

Key Moments

2009

In the team’s debut race, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello scored a 1-2 finish for Brawn GP. It was an incredible occasion for all involved.

2008

In a race that Lewis Hamilton won, there were the fewest amount of finishers since the Spanish Grand Prix in 1996.

2002

This year saw the best ever performance from an Australian driver since 1984 when Mark Webber finished an unlikely 5th.

2001

The Grand Prix from this year was overshadowed by tragedy as Graham Beveridge was killed after a high-speed accident with Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve.

1997

Victory for David Coulthard meant that McLaren broke a winless run of 50 races.

1996

The first race at Melbourne only took three corners to receive widespread media coverage as Jordan’s Martin Brundle was suffered a massive accident.