Albert Park's blend of short straights interspersed with a mixture of slow and medium speed corners is certainly not the first track you think of when someone says "street circuit." However, outside of the race weekend most of the roads are either being used by the public or else closed. As a result, grip improves throughout the weekend as more rubber is laid down and so from Friday to Sunday the track conditions will change every day. Friday can be very slippery and the circuit's limited run-off areas may claim some unprecedented victims over the weekend before grip levels improve. There are also a lot of road markings which reduce grip even further and drivers will have to pay them particular respect in the wet.
Turn 1 (Jones Chicane) is where it all happens, almost inevitably on the opening lap. 2002 produced the classic example with Ralf Schumacher's Williams bouncing off Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari.
Qantas Australian Grand Prix
Top speed:
303 km/h (190 mph)
Average speed:
225 km/h (133 mph)
Time at full-throttle:
65%
Time under braking:
13%
Gear changes per lap:
60
Tyre compounds:
soft/hard
Tyre wear:
low/medium
Brake demand:
high
Downforce level:
high
Qantas Australian Grand Prix
The sixteen slow and medium speed corners demand nearly 3,500 gear changes during the race. Torque to power the cars out of the corners, a balanced set-up, a robust gearbox and stability under braking are therefore all essential to achieve a competitive lap time. Suspension set-up is a compromise between being stiff enough to produce a responsive car through the slow chicanes but soft enough to ensure stability during breaking. Albert Park features six heavy braking zones and brake cooling is particularly important.
Overall it's a medium speed track with only one high-speed corner, therefore a medium-high downforce package is adopted in order to give the drivers the best possible traction out of the slow corners. That said, the high torque levels needed to launch the cars out of the slow corners puts a particular demand on the engine and Melbourne often sees a lot of engine failures.
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Qantas Australian Grand Prix
Key Points:
Turn 3 - Provides one of the best overtaking opportunities of the track if the car in front misjudges the preceding chicane.
Turns 11 and 12 - A high speed chicane that is crucial to a good lap time. Carry as much speed through here and a driver can shave a lot of time off their lap.
Turn 15 - A very tight and slippery turn, especially in wet conditions. Successful execution of this left-hander is vital for top speed on the finishing straight.
