The Albert Park curse and why Piastri can break it in 2025
Tuesday, 7 January 2025
No Australian has 'officially' stepped on the podium in Australia.
The curse of the Australian F1® podium is well known in the hearts of motorsport enthusiasts. Since 1985, no Australian has ‘officially’ stood on the podium at their home Grand Prix™.
Only in 2002, the seventh year in Albert Park’s world championship history, an Australian started a race. Queanbeyan-born Mark Webber – who was 25 years old - took to the grid with a three-race contract to prove to Minardi that he had what it took to be in the top class. Webber only needed one in arguably still the most significant moment in Albert Park’s F1® history.
READ: Rewind: Mark Webber's 2002 debut of dreams
After Webber’s fifth on debut in Melbourne, his Australian Minardi boss Paul Stoddart ushered him onto the podium – official celebrations had concluded – to celebrate his sensational debut with the crowd. Was this the beginning on the curse?
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Webber didn’t finish higher than fourth in any of his subsequent 11 appearances.
The curse reared its head again in 2014 when Daniel Ricciardo made his Red Bull debut. A season with new regulations saw Ricciardo start in second place on the grid after narrowly missing pole position to Lewis Hamilton in the final seconds of Saturday’s qualifying. Ricciardo held second place behind Nico Rosberg, who claimed the top spot with a poor start from Hamilton.
Ricciardo’s podium appearance sent the Albert Park crowd into a frenzy; the Aussie was joined by countryman and 1980 F1® world champion Alan Jones on the rostrum for the traditional celebration.
READ: Magic Melbourne Moments: Ricciardo’s (snatched) podium in 2014
But joy turned to despair later on Sunday evening; stewards discovered Ricciardo’s car had exceeded the maximum allowed fuel flow limit during the race. The rule – new for 2014 – meant Ricciardo was excluded from the final result, stripping the Australian of his podium finish and deducting his championship points.
When Albert Park returns to first place on the F1® calendar in 2025, Oscar Piastri would have to be as strong a possibility as any to break the curse and finally stand up on the podium. Piastri rose in the rankings in 2024, with two race victories and eight podiums, putting him in strong podium contention. McLaren's having arguably the fastest car for most of the season must bring confidence to the team ahead of their 2025 campaign.
Can Piastri go one further than his fourth in 2024 and finally break the curse? Only time will tell.
