10 of the best season openers in Formula 1 history

Jonathan Victoria • 11 Mar 2025 Features

Could 2025 feature on this list in the future…

A new season is here as we can finally say “It’s race week!” for the first time in 2025.

Albert Park will be welcoming us all back to Formula 1 action, returning to its rightful spot as the season opener. It has staged many memorable contests in the past and we’ll be hoping for the same this year, in what is staged to be an all-time classic season.

In honour of Melbourne’s return to being the first race of the season, we’re taking a look back to 10 of the best season openers in Formula 1’s storied 75 year history.

1997 Australian Grand Prix

Modern fans may not be aware of Williams’ dominance in the early-mid 90s as they took four championships in six years. They also had a good measure of the Australian Grand Prix, winning three in a row heading into 1997s edition, the second time it would be held at Albert Park.

Qualifying showed all signs of another Williams win, with eventual Drivers’ Champion Jacques Villeneuve taking pole by 1.7 seconds. 

That all changed in the opening corner, though, as Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine forgot where to brake for the first corner, locking up and going into the side of Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert’s Sauber. 

The latter stage of the race saw McLaren’s David Coulthard, two-time champion Michael Schumacher and Villeneuve's teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen all vying for the victory.

Schumacher fell off after an unscheduled late extra fuel stop, then Frentzen’s chase of Coulthard collapsed when his brakes gave up, leaving the McLaren driver to scamper away for the teams first win in three years in their first racing donning their soon-to-be iconic silver livery.

1993 South African Grand Prix

The last time Formula 1 stopped in South Africa was also one of the few occasions that we were treated to a true Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost vs Michael Schumacher battle.

Schumacher, a then-bright-eyed young racer who would eventually surpass the achievements of the two legends he raced against. Senna, the fastest man F1’s ever seen. Prost, the Professor . It was a duel for the ages.

Senna held the lead despite being in the underdog McLaren against the mighty Williams-Renault of Prost. The Frenchman took the lead eventually, while Schumacher was left frustrated behind Senna, eventually crumbling under the pressure of the Brazilian maestro’s stern defence and spinning out of the race. 

The race ending was given a late twist with a sudden huge downpour and thunderstorms, leading to only five cars finishing the race, with Prost taking the victory and Senna to his right on the podium in second.

1990 United States Grand Prix (Phoenix)

At the 1990 United States Grand Prix on the streets of Phoenix came a great battle between Ayrton Senna and Jean Alesi. F1 aficionado’s will know of Alesi’s talent and it was during this race that caused many to proclaim him as a future champion.

A rain-soaked qualifying issued a surprising starting grid, with Alesi in fourth and Senna behind in fifth. The Frenchman got himself into the lead at the start while Senna uncharacteristically had a slower start before making his way into second.

Alesi remarkably held off the challenge of Senna for almost half the race, even making a sensational repass when Senna did finally take him. The Brazilian was able to get him eventually and hold the lead till the end, but Alesi’s showing that day made many think he would be the one to succeed Senna eventually as the top guy (spoiler - he didn’t).

2009 Australian Grand Prix

The 2009 season saw the introduction of a new aerodynamic era that was eventually dominated by Red Bull (sound familiar). But before the Milton Keynes-based side rose to the top, an unlikely team formed from the remnants of the disbanded Honda outfit known as Brawn GP.

What transpired during the year was one of the most surprising results in F1 history, with Brawn holding the silver bullet that propelled them to both championships.

And it all started in Melbourne as eventual Drivers’ Champion Jenson Button led his teammate Rubens Barrichello home for an improbable 1-2 victory. 

1977 Argentine Grand Prix

Back in the days when aerodynamics was still a relatively fresh concept in F1, a new team would pop up on the grid rather often with their own ideas. Not many would last long, let alone win a race, which made the short-lived Walter Wolf Racing’s debut victory in Argentina in 1977 a sensational occasion.

Future world champion Jody Scheckter piloted the only car for the team during the weekend, qualifying in a lowly 11th while the likes of the reigning champ James Hunt and John Watson led the way.

But issues and damages to the lead cars caused them to drop off or out, and Scheckter took his opportunity to charge through the field, overtaking Carlos Pace with five laps to go to take an astonishing win. 

1989 Brazilian Grand Prix (Rio de Janeiro)

The Brazilian Grand Prix kicking off the season rather than ending it is an odd thought but a seemingly inspired one thanks to the events in 1989.

McLaren were in the middle of a very dominant period and were expected to take an easy win. Indeed, hometown hero Senna put his MP4/5 on pole, while an interesting new (and gorgeous, might we add) Ferrari 640 sat a few positions behind - third for Gerhard Berger and sixth for Nigel Mansell.

It wasn’t to be McLaren’s day, though, as Senna became entangled in a three-way collision at the first corner with Berger and the Williams of Riccardo Patrese, the latter of which being the only one to come away unscathed.

He and his teammate Thierry Boutsen ran ahead together for some time before the Ferrari, with its howling V12 and ground-breaking semi-automatic gearbox, with Mansell at the helm came to take an unlikely win - unlikely due to the cars woeful pre-season reliability that caused the Brit with the greatest moustache in the history of racing to doubt it would even finish.

2003 Australian Grand Prix

In 2003, Ferrari were in the midst of their most successful period ever, with Schumacher going on to break Juan Manuel Fangio’s championship record later in the year. 2003 was expected to be a cakewalk for them like 2002 was, but instead they were given a run for their money, with the opening round in Melbourne representing the challenge ahead.

Schumacher and teammate Barrichello qualified on the front row, but pre-race rain meant starting positions were futile. Schumacher and the two men who would challenge him for the title that year, a young Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, had varying strategies when pitting for dry tyres which resulted in a race-long battle.

Ultimately, Schumacher lost out when a move on Raikkonen ended up with the German going over the grass and picking up damage. Young Kimi was set for the win until he was penalised for speeding in the pitlane, so then things swung in Montoya’s favour.

Yet somehow, from all of that, it was McLaren’s David Coulthard who came out the unexpected winner - his final win of his career - after Montoya spun at the first corner 10 laps 

1982 South African Grand Prix

Prost was well-known for his precision in his driving, playing the percentages game and winning by out-thinking his opponents. But in the opening race of the 1982 season, he showed he could also be the hard-charger when he needed to be.

The Professor started fifth but quickly jumped to second behind teammate Rene Arnoux, who he then took for the lead after 14 laps. Things were going smoothly until a left-rear tyre burst that would see Prost eventually emerge from the pits a lowly lapped eighth place - completely out of contention, right?

That’s where this race earns its place on this list, as what proceeded was one of the greatest comeback drives ever. Prost drove like a man possessed, taking advantage of his fresher rubber and problems for those ahead. A mere 27 laps after his tyre had packed in, he was retaking the lead and going on to victory.

1961 Monaco Grand Prix

The most glamorous and prestigious race on the calendar often comes later in the year, but in 1961 the streets of Monte Carlo was the battleground for the first race of the campaign.

‘61 was very much Ferrari’s year, winning five of the eight races that year, but it was Stirling Moss, the greatest driver to never win a championship, who stole the show.

Moss shouldn't have had a chance in the race, but given his natural ability and sheer willpower, he commanded his Lotus to victory over the 100 lap race - no, that’s no typo. The 1961 Monaco Grand Prix ran for 100 laps, in which Moss masterfully led the majority.

2007 Australian Grand Prix

Ending off with a personal favourite, the 2007 Australian Grand Prix is the earliest proper memory I have of watching F1. I know I would’ve seen it before then but I don’t remember much from the Alonso vs Schumacher battles. But I definitely remember a young Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing emergence onto the scene.

Obviously, we all know him now as the most accomplished driver of all time, but in the opening round of the 2007 season he was simply just a promising rookie on the grid.

With his teammate being the reigning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, no one expected the young Brit to bring a challenge, especially in his first race. Hamilton expelled those thoughts by the first corner, sweeping round the outside to pass Alonso on the way to a podium finish on debut in third.

But while Hamilton stole the show, it was Raikkonen who was the big winner (in the race and in the championship by the end). With the weight of the expectations that came with replacing Schumacher, the Iceman made a perfect start to his Ferrari career, taking pole position, the chequered flag and claiming the fastest lap.