Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The 1996
Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 10, 1996 at
Melbourne. It was the first time this race was held in Melbourne since
1984, taking over from Adelaide as the host of the Australian Grand
Prix. It was the first time the Australian World Championship round had
been held at the site of a previous Australian Grand Prix venue, albeit
on a vastly different circuit, with the surrounds of the Albert Park
Lake having played host to the Australian Grand Prix in 1953 and 1958.
This was second grand prix in a row held in Australia, the previous race
being the conclusion to the 1995 season. Taki Inoue was scheduled to
race for the Minardi team as a pay driver but when no money materialised
prior to the race he was replaced by Fisichella. Marlboro had expressed
interest in Fisichella running early on. The race was the first to use
the new race-start system, still used in Formula 1 today replacing the
old red to green light system. Under the new system, five red lights
would come on at one second intervals, starting after the last driver
reached his grid box.
