Ever since Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit replaced Adelaide on the Formula 1 calendar, it (for fans of a certain age) became synonymous with ‘the start of a new season’ for over 20 years. Adelaide had held every single closer between 1985 and 1995, before the race moved south-east to the state of Victoria to occupy the front end of the calendar.
There were a few occasions when Albert Park could not fulfill its duties as the opener. Melbourne was hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2006, and its ‘demotion’ in 2010 came through an apparent desire to stage the race at a more convenient time for European audiences in waiting for daylight saving time to come into effect.
