Perfect venue is antidote to that long wait:
with Murray Walker.
F1 Racing March 1999.

For a Formula 1 fanatic like me, who gets withdrawal symptoms two weeks after the end of the season, it's been a long
wait. But now off we go to Australia. Hooray! Melbourne's the perfect place to start the grand prix year. Blazing sunshine (usually), super people, an enthusiastic atmosphere, an excellent circuit, immaculate organisation and administration, great food and stunning wines. It's the best event of the year.

With driver changes, new cars and a new tyre situation, we have the intriguing uncertainty of not knowing what's going to happen. Because now we're going to see who was right and who was wrong in all those new-car-launch forecasts about things being better for them in 1999. And do not have any illusions about the early races not being important. They're vital. Michael Schumacher never spoke a truer word when he said that Ferrari lost last season's championship because of their slow start - he had his only mechanical failure of 1998 here in Melbourne. So all the teams will be hell-bent for points at Melbourne.

Who's most likely to get them? Your guess is as good as mine - as I hope you've already read. But remember this. What happens in Australia isn't necessarily going to set the pattern for the rest of the season. Will BAR / Reynard achieve their adventurous objective of winning their first Formula 1 race? Can the McLarens blow away Schumacher's Ferrari now that they're on the same tyres? Will we all be rejoicing at Damon Hill's second grand prix win in a Jordan? Can Alex Zanardi cut the mustard on his return to F1? Will Benetton's new braking system do the trick? Or are we going to get an unexpected result? No-one knows. But it's going to be great finding out!

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