On 9 February, the Formula One World Championship calendar falls silent. But in the early 1960s, elite racing didn’t stop simply because the World Championship did.
This episode looks at the Tasman Series, a southern-hemisphere championship that drew Formula One’s leading drivers to Australia and New Zealand during the European winter — and treated winter success as something that genuinely mattered.
We explore how the Tasman Series evolved from an informal summer tour into a formal championship in 1964, why its timing and regulations attracted world champions and Grand Prix winners, and what it reveals about a more open era in Formula One history.
At the heart of the episode is the 1964 Australian Grand Prix at Sandown, a fiercely contested Tasman round won by Jack Brabham. Far from a sentimental home victory, it was a competitive win that carried real authority — and helped define why the Tasman Series belonged firmly within the sport’s top tier.
The Winter Championship That Mattered is a reminder that Formula One history isn’t confined to points tables, and that for a moment in time, the most serious racing of the year took place far from Europe.
Music by #Mubert Music Rendering
