Melbourne's Rise to Prominence in F1

Not many countries can boast hosting the finale Grand Prix of one season, and the opening one the next. Yet, this is exactly what happened in Australia in 1996, as explained by F1 Hall of Fame journalist David Tremayne. The shift occurred due to a clandestine agreement forged in 1993 between proponents of the move and then-F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The deal was so secret that those involved used aliases when they travelled to the UK to discuss the idea of switching the Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide to Melbourne.