All but twice in the last 15 years has the season started in the Victorian capital of Melbourne since it took over from Adelaide in 1996. So, here is a reminder of the first race in Melbourne in years gone by.
In 1996, it seemed a star was born, as Jacques Villeneuve took pole at Albert Park on his début, joining Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti in that exclusive club.
But Villeneuve wasn't the only thing new, with the 107% rule catching out the Forti cars of Badoer and Montermini, and the new "5 Red Lights" start procedure. It was time for World Champion Michael Schumacher's new start with the Ferrari team - 17 years since their last World Drivers' Champion.
He was outqualified by team-mate Eddie Irvine to start with, with the Williams' half a second clear. Schumacher's breaks failed in the race, giving Irvine a podium on Ferrari debut, and leaving Schumacher's revolution for another day.
Villeneuve, meanwhile led away, but his dream was shattered 4 laps from the end by an oil leak which gave Damon Hill the win. Karma would be restored in Hungary the next year...
All three podium finishers would be out by turn 1 in 1997! Hill's Arrows throttle broke before the race, whilst Irvine crashed into Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert at the first. Though Frentzen initally led, it was David Coulthard who took McLaren's first win for 4 years.
The next year, McLaren would be even stronger, and lapped the whole field. Mika Hakkinen got to turn 1 first, and due to a driver agreement took the race by team orders after an error in the pitlane led to Coulthard leading. Michael Schumacher retired early, and he was McLaren's challenge for the rest of the year...
Schumacher was to suffer more bad luck in 1999, stalling on the grid. Again, the Silver Arrows were dominant, with Hakkinen over a second in front of the German in 3rd. But both McLarens failed to finish, Eddie Irvine taking the win in the year he became a surprise title contender.
McLaren took a half second qualifying lead in to the 2000 race too, but two Mercedes failures gifted Schumacher the win. 2001 was sadder, with a collision involving Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher causing a freak accident fatal to a marshal. Schumacher won from pole, on a race that saw the debut of his two Ferrari successors, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
Rubens Barrichello started from pole for the Scuderia in 2002. Schumacher started poorly and thus was, unlike his team-mate, not rear-ended by Ralf! Half the field were eliminated in the ensuing carnage, and Michael took the win.
2003 saw McLaren's MP4-17D recover from a poor first single-lap qualification, pit on lap 1 and win the race though David Coulthard with his team-mate in 3rd position, after Juan Montoya spun 6 laps from home. The MP4-17D became the unlikely star of the season, ensuring the MP4-18 never appeared on track.
A year later, we were introduced to the F2004, half a second clear of its nearest rival Montoya in qualifying. Schumacher led home a one-two which typified that particular season as much as an engine failure for McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Raikkonen on lap 9.
The aggregate single-lap system was delivered its ultimate denouncement in 2005, when a rain-storm allowed Giancarlo Fisichella's poor performance at the 2004 Brazilian GP to be rewarded with a pole, whilst team-mate Alonso and particularly Michael Schumacher raced in the wet on Saturday. Sunday's session was killed stone dead (and abandoned by the Nurburgring anyway), and Fisi had enough of a buffer to win the race. Eddie Irvine had outqualified Schumi on his Ferrari debut in Melbourne, Fisi got himself a similar false dawn.
A Commonwealth Games enforced move in 2006 meant the next opener in Melbourne saw Lewis Hamilton's debut and first podium, as Kimi Raikkonen won first time out for the Prancing Horse. Honda were outqualified by their 2006 car in the form of Super Aguri, and this signified the future for the Earth Car.
In 2008, the first podium was reserved for Nico Rosberg, but the winner was Lewis Hamilton, ahead of Nick Heidfeld. Ferrari scored only one point to show little hint of their challenge for the title that year, as BMW were the runners-up to McLaren in qualifying and the race. Felipe Massa might have got that extra point had he not carelessly crashed into David Coulthard, who went live on air to threaten the Brazilian with a beating.
In 2009, the doubts were banished about Brawn GP, who not only existed but Button was half a second clear of third placed man Vettel. Barrichello was lucky to come 2nd after two extremely talented drivers (Vettel and Kubica) ended each others races in a collision and knocked both off the podium. The big story was Lewis Hamilton's lie, but Toyota's back-to-front race suggested things from them that never really materialised.
And they're Melbourne's openers in the smallest of nutshells. Apologies to Brogan and Galahad for the doubts, we all said similar things!
In 1996, it seemed a star was born, as Jacques Villeneuve took pole at Albert Park on his début, joining Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti in that exclusive club.
But Villeneuve wasn't the only thing new, with the 107% rule catching out the Forti cars of Badoer and Montermini, and the new "5 Red Lights" start procedure. It was time for World Champion Michael Schumacher's new start with the Ferrari team - 17 years since their last World Drivers' Champion.
He was outqualified by team-mate Eddie Irvine to start with, with the Williams' half a second clear. Schumacher's breaks failed in the race, giving Irvine a podium on Ferrari debut, and leaving Schumacher's revolution for another day.
Villeneuve, meanwhile led away, but his dream was shattered 4 laps from the end by an oil leak which gave Damon Hill the win. Karma would be restored in Hungary the next year...
All three podium finishers would be out by turn 1 in 1997! Hill's Arrows throttle broke before the race, whilst Irvine crashed into Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert at the first. Though Frentzen initally led, it was David Coulthard who took McLaren's first win for 4 years.
The next year, McLaren would be even stronger, and lapped the whole field. Mika Hakkinen got to turn 1 first, and due to a driver agreement took the race by team orders after an error in the pitlane led to Coulthard leading. Michael Schumacher retired early, and he was McLaren's challenge for the rest of the year...
Schumacher was to suffer more bad luck in 1999, stalling on the grid. Again, the Silver Arrows were dominant, with Hakkinen over a second in front of the German in 3rd. But both McLarens failed to finish, Eddie Irvine taking the win in the year he became a surprise title contender.
McLaren took a half second qualifying lead in to the 2000 race too, but two Mercedes failures gifted Schumacher the win. 2001 was sadder, with a collision involving Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher causing a freak accident fatal to a marshal. Schumacher won from pole, on a race that saw the debut of his two Ferrari successors, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
Rubens Barrichello started from pole for the Scuderia in 2002. Schumacher started poorly and thus was, unlike his team-mate, not rear-ended by Ralf! Half the field were eliminated in the ensuing carnage, and Michael took the win.
2003 saw McLaren's MP4-17D recover from a poor first single-lap qualification, pit on lap 1 and win the race though David Coulthard with his team-mate in 3rd position, after Juan Montoya spun 6 laps from home. The MP4-17D became the unlikely star of the season, ensuring the MP4-18 never appeared on track.
A year later, we were introduced to the F2004, half a second clear of its nearest rival Montoya in qualifying. Schumacher led home a one-two which typified that particular season as much as an engine failure for McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Raikkonen on lap 9.
The aggregate single-lap system was delivered its ultimate denouncement in 2005, when a rain-storm allowed Giancarlo Fisichella's poor performance at the 2004 Brazilian GP to be rewarded with a pole, whilst team-mate Alonso and particularly Michael Schumacher raced in the wet on Saturday. Sunday's session was killed stone dead (and abandoned by the Nurburgring anyway), and Fisi had enough of a buffer to win the race. Eddie Irvine had outqualified Schumi on his Ferrari debut in Melbourne, Fisi got himself a similar false dawn.
A Commonwealth Games enforced move in 2006 meant the next opener in Melbourne saw Lewis Hamilton's debut and first podium, as Kimi Raikkonen won first time out for the Prancing Horse. Honda were outqualified by their 2006 car in the form of Super Aguri, and this signified the future for the Earth Car.
In 2008, the first podium was reserved for Nico Rosberg, but the winner was Lewis Hamilton, ahead of Nick Heidfeld. Ferrari scored only one point to show little hint of their challenge for the title that year, as BMW were the runners-up to McLaren in qualifying and the race. Felipe Massa might have got that extra point had he not carelessly crashed into David Coulthard, who went live on air to threaten the Brazilian with a beating.
In 2009, the doubts were banished about Brawn GP, who not only existed but Button was half a second clear of third placed man Vettel. Barrichello was lucky to come 2nd after two extremely talented drivers (Vettel and Kubica) ended each others races in a collision and knocked both off the podium. The big story was Lewis Hamilton's lie, but Toyota's back-to-front race suggested things from them that never really materialised.
And they're Melbourne's openers in the smallest of nutshells. Apologies to Brogan and Galahad for the doubts, we all said similar things!
I even spell checked it too 
