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Last seasons' info Melbourne Australia
Fernando Alonso won the Australian Grand
Prix at Melbourne in an incident-filled
race day, as the safety car had to be called
out 4 times. Jenson Button started at the
front but could not keep his position from
Alonso's constant attack, problems with
cold tyres and finally having his engine
blown up at the last lap. He was not the
only one that has retired in a spectacular
fashion - Michael Schumacher ran wide at
the exit to the final turn and destroyed
his car in an accident opposite the pitlane
- bringing the safety car out again in the
process. Kimi Raikkonen arrived second and
Ralf Schumacher came third, being benefited
from both Juan Pablo Montoya and brother
Michael Schumacher's retirement.
Winner + pole + fastest lap Melbourne
Australia
2006 winner: Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:34:27.870
Pole Position: Jenson Button, Honda, 1:25.229
Fastest lap: Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren - Mercedes,
1:26.045
Historic info Melbourne Australia
Australia became part of the F1 world championship
in 1985 with the last race of the season
held on the street circuit in Adelaide.
The circuit, whilst not as ridiculously
tight as Monaco,
was notoriously tough on drivers and gearboxes.
The most famous race there was undoubtedly
the 1986 event, where Nigel Mansell, and
Nelson Piquet in a Williams, and Alain Prost
in his McLaren were still competing for
the title. Mansell needed only third to
guarantee the title, whilst Prost and Piquet
needed to win and for Mansell to finish
lower than third to take the title. Whilst
leading comfortably with a few laps to go,
Mansell's Williams suffered a spectacular
mechanical failure, with a rear tyre puncture
at very high speed near the end of the main
straight creating a huge shower of sparks
as the floor of the vehicle dragged along
the bitumen surface. Mansell fought to control
car and steered it to a safe stop. Prost
took the lead and won the race and the championship.
Prost himself came incredibly close to failure,
as his vehicle came a halt on his warm-down
lap, out of fuel.
In 1996 the race was shifted to a rebuilt
Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne.
The race was struck by tragedy in 2001,
when a flying tyre from a crash between
Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve flew
through a gap in the barrier fence and killed
a volunteer track marshal.
The 2002 event saw the best performance
by an Australian driver when Mark Webber,
in the uncompetitive Minardi, finished an
unlikely fifth, holding off a fast-closing
Mika Salo in a much faster Toyota. He and
the Australian-born team owner Paul Stoddart
became instant national celebrities well
beyond the motor racing world, the minor
placing receiving far more attention in
Australia than Michael Schumacher's win.
Listings of past winners / team
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
2002 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2000 Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1999 Eddie Irvine Ferrari
1998 Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes
1997 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
1996 Damon Hill Williams-Renault
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