EDDIE IRVINE was cock ahoop following his fine third place finish in his debut drive for Ferrari at the 1996 Formula One Grand Prix curtain raiser in Melbourne yesterday. Damon Hill eventually claimed victory after his team mate, rookie Jacques Villeneuve, who had led from the start, ran low on oil he would have been the first driver to win his first grand prix.

Irvine's successor with Jordan Peugeot, Martin Brundle, was lucky to escape with his life after a 180 mph first lap crash, while Jordan's senior driver, Rubens Barrichello, retired at half distance with engine failure.

Irvine's display, following his remarkable practice performance when he was faster than team mate Michael Schumacher, firmly lays down the marker that the reigning world champion will have to work this year not only to win the championship, but also to retain the reputation as the greatest living driver. You can't be the best and have a team mate three tenths of second quicker in practice.

Irvine was in top form, and at the first start passed Hill into second place. When Brundle's accident forced a restart, Irvine again beat Schumacher to the first corner, but on lap two he pulled over and let the German through.

"Michael was quicker than me," said Irvine. "And it was right for me to let him through to try and catch the Williams. My race was then pretty boring until Jean Alesi tried to pass me on the inside where there was no room (lap 10 of 58).

"With Alesi you never know how far back he is going to be coming from. You have to drive your own race and hope that if he comes he will be the victim and not yourself. There was no damage to my car," he added.

While Schumacher stayed in touch with the Williams, it was an illusory equality, as he was on a two stop strategy while the Williams were on one stop and consequently carrying much more fuel.

At half distance Schumacher's largely untested Ferrari F310 hit serious trouble, shedding all its brake fluid. Irvine rose to the challenge and carried the honour of the greatest grand prix team comfortably on his shoulders.

Irvine was delighted with the result: "I am very pleased. We came here thinking we would be slow and unreliable. The cars have been quicker than we expected. After Alesi crashed into me, it was a question of taking things easy, because one of the things we were worried about was the brakes.

"This is very special, my first drive with Ferrari - so to finish on the podium is very nice," said Irvine - who has been a Ferrari fan since the age of five.

Schumacher was magnanimous and waited to congratulate his team mate. Schumacher respects Irvine, even if the Irishman is, for now, ahead in the world championship.

A young Schumacher himself ruined the reputations of people like Nelson Piquet when he joined their team and the German was faster. He cannot afford to have Irvine too close to his pace, let alone quicker. The lack of pre season testing doesn't seem to have made one whit of difference to Irvine.

For the first time a Tricolour flew over a grand prix podium and Irvine wore a large shamrock on his helmet.

Hill opened his 1996 account with a maximum 10 points though he had to work for it: "There was oil coming our of Jacques' car for 30 laps, so I was worried something might go bang and we'd both he off. When Jacques went off near the end I thought he might catch me as he came back on the track so I lifted off," said Hill, perhaps thinking of the crash with Schumacher in Austria in 1994 that gave the title to the German.

Hill had plenty of praise for his 24 year old team mate. "Jacques proved he's a real racer."

Villeneuve was disappointed to lose the race just four laps from home: "Obviously to have lost the race having led for so long is disappointing, but it was fun. It was a great battle with Damon and I enjoyed it."

Eddie Jordan was disappointed immediately after the race, but as the hours passed he came to realise how lucky Martin Brundle was to escape.

"It is a miracle that after such a big accident Martin was fit and well enough to run back to the pits and get into the T car."

Brundle said: "I was flat in sixth doing 290 kph when a few cars tangled in front of me. There was nothing I could do. I was a passenger on a high speed merry go round, so I just concentrated on making sure I didn't hit my head. The accident seemed to go on for a long time."

Brundle displayed incredible courage to instruct the team to get his spare car ready, and he and Jordan had a frank exchange of views with starter Charlie Whiting who insisted Brundle be checked by FIA doctor, Sid Watkins.

"I had to run up and down the pit lane twice to try to find him, so when I did he felt if I could move that well I was okay to race.

Unfortunately the Englishman's second race lasted only a lap as he spun off when an early braking Ligier of Pedro Diniz caught him out.

Barrichello had run in fifth and sixth for much of the race until he coasted to a stop. "It was a gear in the cam drive," said John Walton. "It's not a problem we've had before."