Melbourne and F1 have done their best to improve the show on the track for this week’s Australian Grand Prix, tweaking the Albert Park layout and relying on four DRS zones to boost overtaking.
F1 returns to Australia for the first time since 2019, having avoided Melbourne for two years due to the country’s Covid restrictions.
But drivers will return to an altered circuit, starting with the former Turn 9-10 chicane that has been heavily revised.
The tight right hand Turn 9 corner has been completely erased and replaced by a fast sweep that will lead on to the slightly curved back straight.
Elsewhere, there have been radius changes at Turn 1, Turn 6 and at the penultimate corner that will make those areas slightly faster, while Albert Park’s pitlane has also undergone work, with the stretch being widened to two meters.
Overall, the changes should shave about five seconds off F1’s previous lap times at the venue.
Melbourne has historically been a venue where overtaking was very difficult. But this year’s new generation cars coupled with F1 adding a fourth DRS zone to the track should significantly facilitate overtaking.
While drivers will sail through four DRS zones, there will only be two activation points.
The first DRS detection point has been placed between Turns 6 and 7, and will enable drivers to run with less drag between Turns 8 and 9 and between Turns 10 and 11.
The second DRS detection zone is located between Turns 12 and 13, and will serve Albert Park’s main straight as well as the stretch between Turns 2 and 3.
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