From the chaotic start in 2002 to Brawn GP’s first victory, the Albert Park circuit has been the stage for unforgettable moments
1996: Martin Brundle’s terrifying crash
Before embarking on his career as a journalist and commentator, Martin Brundle had an intense experience in Formula 1, racing for 12 seasons with various teams. 1996, his final year as a driver, began in the worst possible way, narrowly avoiding tragedy. That year’s Australian Grand Prix, the first held at Albert Park, lasted less than two minutes for Brundle.
Starting from 19th on the grid in his Jordan, the British driver immediately tried to climb up the rankings. However, his comeback attempt was abruptly cut short at Turn 3. Ahead of him, Coulthard’s McLaren lost control and hit Herbert’s Sauber. With no escape route, Brundle crashed into the rear of both cars, launching into the air before crashing heavily into the runoff area. The impact was so violent that his Jordan split in two, forcing the marshals to immediately stop the race. Despite the severity of the crash, Brundle miraculously emerged unscathed.
Without wasting any time, he sprinted to the pits to jump into the spare car and take part in the restart. Cameras captured his run to reach Sid Watkins, the race’s medical delegate, to get clearance to continue:”“I ran all the way to the back of the grid, Sid got out of the medical car and said, ‘I see you’re fine, I just saw you running… what day is it today?’ It was my father’s birthday, March 10th… so he said, ‘You can race.’ “, Brundle would later recall.
However, at the restart, his race ended once again at Turn 3, due to a collision with Diniz. But those two surreal minutes remained etched in the memory of fans, becoming one of the most iconic moments of his career.
2002: chaos at the start
The start of the 2002 edition remains one of the most chaotic in Formula 1 history. Starting from third place with Williams, Ralf Schumacher passed his brother Michael, setting his sights on the lead held by Barrichello. In an attempt to defend his position, the Ferrari driver closed the line, and the Williams couldn’t avoid him. The impact caused Ralf’s car to launch over Barrichello’s head before ending up in the gravel. Fortunately, both drivers emerged unscathed from the crash but were forced to retire from the race.
The chaos didn’t stop there: another six drivers were involved in the confusion caused by Ralf Schumacher’s airborne car. Amidst the incidents, retirements, and disqualifications, only eight of the twenty-two cars on the grid managed to see the chequered flag. The race was won by Michael Schumacher, further solidifying Ferrari’s dominance during those years, followed by Montoya and a young Kimi Räikkönen, who claimed the podium in his McLaren debut. That crazy start remains one of the most disastrous ever, second only to the chaos at Spa-Francorchamps in 1998, when thirteen cars were involved in a massive pile-up at the start.
2005: Fisichella’s victory
In 2005, the Australian Grand Prix smiled on Giancarlo Fisichella, who, driving for Renault, secured the second victory of his career, following his win in Brazil in 2003 with Jordan. In a qualifying session still based on the traditional single-lap format and affected by bad weather, Fisichella claimed pole position ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, the other Italian on the grid. Interestingly, it was the first time since 1996 — when Formula 1 moved from Adelaide to Melbourne — that the front row featured two drivers from different teams.
The race had no major upsets, with Fisichella perfectly controlling the pace, crossing the finish line ahead of Barrichello’s Ferrari and his Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso. The victory in Melbourne allowed ‘Fisico‘ to take the lead in the drivers’ standings, becoming the last Italian driver in Formula 1 to hold that position. Furthermore, with his win the following year in Sepang, Fisichella became the last Italian — to this day — to win a Grand Prix.
2007: Hamilton’s debut
2007 was a year of rebuilding for McLaren, which was forced to form a new driver pairing after Räikkönen’s departure to Ferrari and the confirmation of De La Rosa as the team’s test driver. The Woking-based team welcomed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who arrived from Renault, and alongside him, a young British driver, the GP2 champion. Ron Dennis‘ gamble was named Lewis Hamilton, and his debut at Albert Park marked the beginning of his Formula 1 career.
After a strong qualifying session, Hamilton started from fourth on Sunday, surprising Heidfeld with a great launch and even passing Alonso. The Brit delivered an exceptional performance, staying in close contention with his teammate for most of the race, with Alonso only managing to pass him due to the pit stop rotations. The cover star was Räikkönen, who won his debut race with Ferrari, but much of the media attention was focused on the third place finish of then 22-year-old Hamilton. The rest is history.
2009: A strong start for Brawn GP
In the dream season of Brawn GP, the team achieved a total of eight victories, with the first one coming from Jenson Button on the Albert Park circuit. The win revealed to the world the potential of the newly formed team, which had already shown promising signs during pre-season testing in Barcelona and Jerez. The much-debated double diffuser, heavily criticized by other teams on the grid but deemed legal by the FIA, proved to be the winning weapon that allowed Button and Barrichello to dominate the competition.
With the pole position secured on Saturday and a victory that was never really in doubt, Button claimed the first of his six season wins, with Barrichello finishing behind him to complete a historic first-ever double for Brawn GP. At the end of a sensational season, Button became World Champion for the first and only time in his career, while the British team also triumphed in the Constructors’ Championship, before transforming into Mercedes GP the following year.
Photo: Formula 1, Rainer W. Schlegelmilch