The Australian Grand Prix has a long tradition that pre-dates its arrival on the Formula 1 schedule as a fully-fledged world championship round in 1985. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton’s two wins in 2008 and 2015 mean he’s still one behind Roberto Moreno’s treble at Calder Park between 1981 and 1984!
From the streets of Adelaide to its current destination of Albert Park in Melbourne, F1’s home in Australia since 1996, the Australian Grand Prix has produced thrilling championship deciders and unpredictable season-openers, as well as memorable incidents such as the 2002 pile-up that contributed to Mark Webber’s point-scoring debut with Minardi.
From the controversial clash between Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill that gave the German his first world title in 1994, on a day that Nigel Mansell scored his final F1 victory, to Brawn GP’s unforgettable maiden win in 2009 and a surprise triumph for Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus in 2013, there were no shortage of classic moments for our panel of experts to pick out.
Ahead of this weekend’s 2023 edition, we selected our favourite Australian Grands Prix.
1986 – The greatest title decider? Kevin Turner
“And colossally, that’s Mansell!” Murray Walker’s words on commentary as Mansell’s title hopes were extinguished are perhaps among his most memorable
Photo by: Sutton Images
Nigel Mansell fans could rightly point out that the Briton could or should have been world champion in 1986, but Alain Prost’s campaign in his outgunned McLaren-TAG has to be considered one of the great F1 performances. And a remarkable day in Adelaide, still sadly missed from the F1 schedule, meant the crown went the Frenchman’s way.
Mansell required third to secure the championship whatever his Williams-Honda team-mate Nelson Piquet and Prost did. Mansell took pole but fell to fourth on a cautious opening lap before taking the third he needed from Ayrton Senna’s Lotus on lap four of 82. Prost made his way by and then Piquet spun, leaving the McLarens of Keke Rosberg and Prost 1-2 and Mansell in third.
The first crucial moment came when Prost was forced in for a tyre change due to a puncture on a day when going through non-stop seemed possible. While Prost began a charge from fourth, Piquet made his way back into second and Mansell settled once more into third.
With 20 laps to go, leader Rosberg rang the first alarm bell that the Goodyear rubber might not be able to last the race when he suffered a blowout and retired. Prost overtook…
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