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7th March 1970: The Race That Gave Jack Brabham His Final Victory
On 7 March, Formula One season-openers have told very different stories about how a championship can begin.
In 1970, the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami launched a new decade for the sport. The grid was packed with new machinery — including the March 701 and Ferrari’s flat-12 — signalling a wave of technical change. Yet when the race was decided after 80 demanding laps, it was experience that prevailed. Jack Brabham guided his Brabham BT33 to victory ahead of Denny Hulme and Jackie Stewart, securing what would prove to be the final win of his remarkable Formula One career.
Nearly three decades later, the 1999 Australian Grand Prix delivered one of Melbourne’s most chaotic season openers. McLaren’s early dominance collapsed with mechanical failures, leaving Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine to seize the opportunity and claim the first victory of his career in a race where only eight cars reached the finish.
And in 2004, Melbourne witnessed the beginning of a very different kind of season. Michael Schumacher’s commanding victory for Ferrari — ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso — marked the opening step in one of the most dominant championship campaigns in Formula One history.
Three races. Three season openers. And one day in the calendar that reveals how unpredictably a Formula One year can begin.
Cover image: 1970 Brands Hatch Race of Champions Jack Brabham BT33 by Gerald Swan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
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Music by #Mubert Music Rendering
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By Martin ElliotOn 7 March, Formula One season-openers have told very different stories about how a championship can begin.
In 1970, the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami launched a new decade for the sport. The grid was packed with new machinery — including the March 701 and Ferrari’s flat-12 — signalling a wave of technical change. Yet when the race was decided after 80 demanding laps, it was experience that prevailed. Jack Brabham guided his Brabham BT33 to victory ahead of Denny Hulme and Jackie Stewart, securing what would prove to be the final win of his remarkable Formula One career.
Nearly three decades later, the 1999 Australian Grand Prix delivered one of Melbourne’s most chaotic season openers. McLaren’s early dominance collapsed with mechanical failures, leaving Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine to seize the opportunity and claim the first victory of his career in a race where only eight cars reached the finish.
And in 2004, Melbourne witnessed the beginning of a very different kind of season. Michael Schumacher’s commanding victory for Ferrari — ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso — marked the opening step in one of the most dominant championship campaigns in Formula One history.
Three races. Three season openers. And one day in the calendar that reveals how unpredictably a Formula One year can begin.
Cover image: 1970 Brands Hatch Race of Champions Jack Brabham BT33 by Gerald Swan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Send us Fan Mail
Music by #Mubert Music Rendering