That is the general consensus around the paddock. As the 2012 Formula 1 season officially gets underway in two days time, team principals and drivers are intrigued at who's got what and who stands where in the pecking order. And those kind of mysteries are very good for the fans and the sport.
As Friday draws ever closer, most teams and drivers have already arrived in the paddock in Melbourne. The cars and various supplies have already been set up in the garages, while drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Timo Glock have given Albert Park a taste with their bicycles. While we're at it, let's discuss some of the track's characteristics and most important features, as well as what drivers need to look out for when driving around Albert Park.
 |
| Red Bull garage; Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia (Tuesday, March 13th) |
A. Track characteristics
Albert Park Circuit; 5.303 kilometres.
Race distance: 58 laps = 307.574 kilometers,16 corners in total, none particularly high energy.
Top speed: 318km/h (with Drag Reduction System on rear wing)
Full throttle – 65% of the lap.
Total fuel needed for race distance: 152 kilos.
Time spent braking: 13% of the lap.
Number of braking zones: 8.
Brake wear: High.
Timetable Fri 16 March 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Practice 1 | 12:30 - 14:00 |
| Practice 2 | 16:30 - 18:00 |
| Sat 17 March 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Practice 3 | 14:00 - 15:00 |
| Qualifying | 17:00 |
| Sun 18 March 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Race | 17:00 |
Weather Forecast - unpredictable
The forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for a warm dry day with temperatures around 21-22 degrees and only 20% chance of rain. However, thunderstorms are forecast for Friday’s practice. According to other sources, it is expected to rain heavily on Sunday during the race. Clearly unpredictable weather this time around.
Chance of a safety car - relatively high
The chance of a safety car at Albert Park is 57% . The average number of safety car interventions for the race is 1.7 (in 2006 there were four).
B. What drivers need to look out for
The start and the first corner. Albert Park is known for its incidents at Turn 1 & 2, as it's a quite tricky, fast paced and tight corner combination. With 24 drivers on the grid, it's likely that not all of them will make it past these turns.
Changing weather conditions. Melbourne, particularly at this time of the year, is often a victim of sudden thunderstorms. Conditions can change at a rapid pace and the driver able to master these situations will hold the key to a successful race.
Tyre degradation. Pirelli bring the Soft and Medium compounds to the first race. In winter testing, track and air temperatures were relatively lower in Barcelona than in Melbourne, so it's safe to say that on Sunday, teams will be looking to gather some data on how the tyres perform at higher temperatures.
 |
| The start of the Australian Grand Prix in 2011 |
C. What to expect?
Team principals and drivers all agreed that this could be a freaky start to the season. Times have never been so close in winter testing, and performance levels for each team remain a complete mystery until Saturday in qualifying.
However, clever people will bet on Sebastian Vettel clinching at least a pole, if not a win. McLaren look set to challenge the Bulls, with Mercedes, Lotus and Ferrari very close behind. Dark horses in the form of Lotus or Force India are likely to cause some pleasant surprises, especially in qualifying.
Not much is known at this time, and even the info we have so far on who's standing where, might be faulty. As Vettel brilliantly explained: "You never know where you are until you get to Melbourne and everyone pulls their pants down. Then you can see what they have got and you show what you have got"
 |
| Sebastian Vettel celebrating his win at Melbourne in 2011 |
No comments:
Post a Comment