OTD: 2002 Formula One Season Got Off to a Flying Start

The Albert Park Circuit played host to the 2002 Australian GP and it was chaotic to say the least. As a result of one collision, eight cars were wiped out from the race at once. The incident at the opening Formula One race was triggered when Ralf Schumacher was launched off the rear wing of Rubens Barrichello.

Meanwhile, the likes of Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa, Olivier Panis and Allan McNish were inexplicably taken out of the race. The funny thing was that neither of the six drivers were anywhere close to Barrichello or Schumacher.

All in all, once 58 laps were finally complete, only 8 drivers survived the ordeal. Meanwhile, debutante, Mark Webber had to fend off a few hungry drivers and eventually held on for his maiden points finish. His first challenger was Mika Salo in the Toyota, who harried him for a good portion of the race until the Finn spun off.

Renault’s Jarno Trulli was the first of the retirees who was not part of the initial pile-up. Also joining him on the sidelines were Jacques Villeneuve, Takuma Sato and David Coulthard, all with mechanical issues.

This race was so thrilling that fans even voted it as the best Formula One Australian GPs. With the 2019 Formula One season just days away, fans will be itching to get the season underway.

Pre-season testing is over and Ferrari have established themselves as threats for the title. Meanwhile, Mercedes have been saying that they are experiencing issues with their pesky W10. Red Bull will be entering the season with Honda as their new partners.

So, the big question is, who will emerge as the top dog? Will it be Ferrari or Will Mercedes get to the bottom of their issues? Can Red Bull pose a challenge and is there a dark horse waiting in the wings?