John N
F1 returns to Albert Park for what will be its first race since 2019, and there’s plenty of excitement as we prepare for the third Grand Prix of the season. Here’s a look at some of the major talking points:
- Ferrari vs Redbull Battle
The early rounds of the new season have been defined by the battle between two non-Mercedes teams: Red Bull and Ferrari. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have each won a race, but it’s Leclerc who leads the championship after finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in Jeddah. The first two rounds have seen fantastic duels between Leclerc and Verstappen for the lead, with the last race going down to the wire before Verstappen could be assured of victory. Given that there have been major changes to the regulations for 2022, it’s difficult to know how the form guide will look at different circuits–but Albert Park also opens a new chapter this weekend. If one team has a sizable advantage, it could start to show that they are the title favorites ahead of the other.
- How Much Of A Fight Can Mercedes Put Up
If there is a change in the dynamic between the top two teams, then that could partly come from a greater understanding of how to get more out of their respective cars after a couple of races learning about the 2022 machines. And that’s something that is naturally going to be true of the entire field. But if there is one team that stands out at this stage as having more to learn about their car than most, it’s Mercedes, who have been struggling compared to the top two and were unable to challenge for pole or victory in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Those issues really appeared at the final pre-season test, when Mercedes introduced a radically updated car featuring their innovative sidepod design. With the car in that form, they found porpoising – or bouncing at high speed – a real challenge, and haven’t been able to run their car in the manner they want.
Compounding those problems in many ways was the schedule, which saw the final test, opening race and second round take place on consecutive weekends, so it will be interesting to see if Mercedes are able to make further progress given an extra week to dissect the data and come up with potential solutions.
- Sebabstain Vettel Is Back Alongside Mick Schumacher
Sebastian Vettel was ruled out for a second race due to Covid-19 on Friday morning, with Nico Hulkenberg substituting for him once again, as he had in Bahrain. Last week, Aston Martin announced Vettel had fully recovered and would be back in the car from Melbourne onwards, meaning his season will start in Australia. Vettel will have plenty of catching up to do in terms of learning about the 2022 car after limited pre-season testing, with most of his rivals on the grid having two races under their belts by now. But Mick Schumacher is not one of those, as he also missed the race in Jeddah due to the massive crash he suffered in qualifying. The incredible safety systems ensured Schumacher was uninjured, but with a pit lane start the best outcome for Haas in Jeddah, and freight heading straight to Australia from Saudi Arabia, the team decided the best option was to withdraw him from the race prior to receiving the results of Schumacher’s scans.
Before his crash, it was looking like a promising weekend for Schumacher, who was chasing a Q3 spot and his first points. But it’s great to see him fit and healthy after such a big hit, and ready to return to action at the next race.
- A Renovated Race Track
The Australian Grand Prix has seen some major changes ahead of the 2015 race, with modifications made to the track layout in order to try and improve racing. The Albert Park circuit has always been a thrilling challenge for drivers and teams, but it had become one of the tougher venues to overtake at and often races have been decided by strategy or qualifying positions more than on-track battles. So, in order to improve overtaking, the organizers have made a number of changes to the track.
There are only slight tweaks to Turn 1, Turn 6, and the penultimate corner —where the track has been widened and the apex speed will be higher courtesy of a change of radius—the biggest change has seen the chicane at Turn 9 and 10 removed. This means there is a much longer flat-out outrun to Chicane 11 which was previously Turn 13. Drivers will be arriving at this corner at a higher speed, and there has been an installation of a tighter right-hand corner (previously used as Turn 12), making this an even bigger braking zone than before. All of these updates are likely to see lap times some 5 seconds quicker than in the past, but also open up greater overtaking possibilities and could make mistakes more costly. Add in 2022 cars that make it easier to follow closely, and it will be fascinating to see just what the impact on racing is.
- A Return To Albert Park
The last time Formula 1 attempted to race in Australia was before the country fell victim to the worldwide pandemic known as Covid-19. In 2020, the paddock was actually set up and ready to go in Melbourne when the race was called off. F1 has demonstrated that it is capable of handling a unique challenge such as this, with flexible calendars and stand-in races allowing two epic seasons to be completed in four months’ time.
But it will still feel like the closing of a chapter in some ways when FP1 gets underway on Friday, in a city that always provides an incredible welcome to the teams and drivers, and fully embraces the sport when it races around Albert Park. Hundreds of thousands of fans will be in attendance – as they so regularly are – to see the first Grand Prix in Australia since 2019, and we can’t wait to put on a show with the new cars after two crackers to kick off the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
