The man who still holds that piece of history, John Smith, admits he finds it “intriguing” that his name continues to resurface every March, with his second place at Calder Park in 1983 remaining the most recent Australian podium at the Australian Grand Prix.
“I find it intriguing to come up and figure out that I’m the last one that did it 43 years ago,” Smith told Speedcafe.
“There’s been a lot of Grands Prix. There’s been 42 Grands Prix since then and it’s weird to think that I’m the only one.”
Since Smith’s podium, the best result by an Australian at the Australian Grand Prix has been fourth place — achieved by Alfredo Costanzo in 1984, the final edition before championship status — and later by Mark Webber in 2012, along with Daniel Ricciardo in 2016 and 2018.
Ricciardo did finish second on the road in 2014, only to be disqualified hours later for breaching fuel regulations.
In 2025, Oscar Piastri appeared set to finally celebrate on the podium in front of his home crowd before a late spin dropped him from second to ninth, extending a drought that continues to follow 76-year-old Sydneysider Smith whenever the Australian Grand Prix returns.
The 1983 race at Calder Park was the 48th running of the event and the fourth held at the venue.
It also served as the sixth and final round of the Australian Drivers’ Championship, contested under Formula Pacific regulations in the era before the event joined the Formula 1 World Championship in 1985.
That “pro-am” period allowed local privateers to go wheel-to-wheel with established F1 stars in near-identical Ralt RT4 machinery.
But while the cars were similar, the backing often was not, with Smith firmly in the privateer camp.
“Most of us, the Aussie guys, we were all self-funded,” he explained.
“I had sponsorship from Overseas Containers Limited and Australia/Japan Container Line. So I had money to do that year.
“We weren’t rolling in money, that’s for sure. We were strictly an amateur bunch of guys.”
Smith said his crew was made up of mates juggling day jobs and long nights in the workshop.
“We’d be there at the workshop every night from six till 11, four or five nights a week,” he added.
By contrast, the opposition featured Brazilian Roberto Moreno, French veteran Jacques Laffite, Australia’s 1980 F1 world champion Alan Jones and a host of well-supported operations.
At the 1983 race, Moreno ultimately won his second Australian Grand Prix in three years, with Smith splitting him and Laffite on the podium.
Smith qualified third, lining up behind Moreno and Costanzo, with the Australian vaulting into the lead at the start.
When Costanzo’s Tiga suffered gearbox failure early in the 100-lap race, the contest became a war of attrition at the front.
Moreno controlled proceedings, but behind him Smith came under relentless pressure from Jones before the local hero spun in traffic.
That left Laffite looming in Smith’s mirrors for the closing stages.
“During the race, Moreno inherited the lead, and then I was running second. Then I got attacked by Alan Jones. He was really determined and driving really hard,” Smith recalled.
“We must have gone for probably 30 laps, maybe more, maybe 40 laps, and he was at me the whole time.”
After Jones’ misfortune, Laffite became the next threat.
“Next thing, I had my mirrors full of Jacques Laffite. And we went on it then to the end of the race,” Smith said.
“I was just deliberately holding him up, especially, I think it was called the Gloweve Corner coming onto the straight.
“It’s a place where you can’t really pass on line. You have to go off line. And I made sure that if he was going to do that, he’d be out wide, and then I could drive away.
“So I’d slow the speed down, and then when he’s sort of trying to get by, he gets baulked by me, then I’d get on the gas and drive out.
“And I could always jump out about four or five lengths in front of him and hold him off down the straight.”
Smith said the battle continued for more than 30 laps before Laffite mounted one final attack on the last lap.
“In the end he started to work me out pretty well,” he said.
“And the last lap we came onto the straight, and he’s jumped alongside and actually got right alongside me.
“I remember seeing his car was probably, the nose of the car was back to the mirrors behind me. That was it. Just right alongside.
“And that’s where I beat him to the line to get second place.”
Despite the achievement being one of the biggest of his career, Smith admitted he left Calder slightly disappointed.
“Well I was a bit disappointed I didn’t win!” he said.
“Oddly enough, Graham Watson, who owned the Moreno car, told me they had a press day on the following Monday out there. And Moreno was there and everything, and he took the car for a few laps.
“He did about 12 laps around the place and the bloody rear shock absorber fell off. And I thought to myself, well, there you go. That’s something.
“All I needed was another 12 laps and I would have won the damn race!”
Two years after Smith’s success, the Australian Grand Prix joined the Formula 1 World Championship, effectively shutting out domestic hopefuls without the budget to chase European seats.
“Well what it did, it eliminated every Aussie that wanted to be in it,” Smith said.
“As you know, what’s involved in racing Formula 1 is just more than having great talent. You need that, but there’s a whole lot of money that gets thrown at you to do it.
“And it’s a closed shop mixed up with a world championship. Whereas back in our day, we had exactly the same equipment as the big kids.”
After funding realities closed the door on an F1 tilt, Smith transitioned full-time to touring cars from 1985 and enjoyed a long domestic career before retiring in the mid-1990s.
A motorcycle accident in 2012 left him paraplegic, but his connection to the sport has never faded.
Even now, Smith admits he is surprised no Australian has matched that result since — even in the world championship era in Adelaide and Melbourne.
“When I was told that, which is probably 10 years ago or something now, I found it quite intriguing that it’s not happened between me and now,” he admitted.
“When you think about it, I thought that Dan Ricciardo, I think he got second place or something, and then got rubbed out.
“The same thing with Webber. I thought he had a chance to do something.
“And last year, Piastri was looking good for five minutes and then he threw it away.”
This weekend, Smith said he’ll be glued to the TV watching to see if Piastri can finally break Australia’s 43-year drought for a home podium — although he admits with a grin that part of him wouldn’t mind another year at the top of the record books.
“Secretly, of course he could, but it wouldn’t be bad if I got one more year out of my glory!” Smith joked.
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