Melbourne hopes to reignite F1 spark amid simmering Verstappen-Perez rivalry

Time was when Albert Park was the beloved opening round of every Formula One season, touched by a crisp sunshine and promise of change and new beginnings.

The heat was softened by winds off the Tasman Sea. With apartments lining the back straight, kite surfers danced on the waves while drivers had their breakfast on St Kilda beach before the day’s action.

Swamped by Australia’s fanatical F1 following, Melbourne wasn’t just a race - it was an event. It always felt fresh, exciting, hopeful.

When it was shifted off pole position post-covid, something was broken. Shunted down to third in the calendar after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, it completed a trio so unique in its make up, performance and results could not be extrapolated across the coming season.

When F1 arrived in Melbourne in 1996 it was very different; 11 of the first 16 winners went on to become champions. But in the last 12 years that has only happened twice.

In fact, an Albert Park victory was as good as the kiss of death. Lewis Hamilton started from pole a remarkable eight times but only won twice.

In fact, his teammates have won more often when he was on pole than he has.

Pacesetters Red Bull return on Sunday as favourites but have to go back over a decade to when Sebastian Vettel was in his pomp to remember what it’s like to triumph at Albert Park.

Max Verstappen may have won 10 of the last 13 Grands Prix (and his team 12 of 13) as well as being pre-race favourite, but he has never been successful here.

New arrival Las Vegas aside, Melbourne is now one of only two circuits in the calendar where he is yet to triumph.

It’s difficult to say why the track is such an outlier, and it’s certainly not for want of trying. Organisers tinker with the layout almost