'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
F1's return to Australia after a two-year gap will happen on the 10th of April after the Victorian government confirmed there will be no postponement this year.
The race at Melbourne's Albert Park has been the curtain raiser in recent seasons. It was canceled in the last two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 race was called off on the Friday before the race after multiple positive test results emerged in the McLaren garage. The season started later on in the year with a double-header in Austria.
The race was planned for last year as well but had to be postponed multiple times before being called off altogether. Race organizers had planned changes to the circuit when the event was scheduled for 2021 and those changes could be seen implemented when the sport returns to Albert Park.
A statement on F1's website regarding the changes to the circuit read:
“The organizers hope the changes will provide more overtaking opportunities and lead to faster and more competitive racing at the Australian venue. The most obvious change to the parkland circuit will be the removal of the chicane at Turn 9 and 10 to create a sweeping right-hander instead, as well as the possibility of an additional DRS zone. Meanwhile, there will also be a widening of the track at Turns 1, 3, 6, 13, and 15 – while Turns 13 and 15 are set to have their cambers altered to allow multiple racing lines.”
How these changes translate to on-track racing when put in tandem with the new F1 cars of 2022 remains to be seen.
F1 2021 season finale 'was manipulated' — Anthony Davidson
The end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen won his maiden championship, was deemed a manipulation by title rival Lewis Hamilton at the time. Former F1 driver-turned-analyst Anthony Davidson is also of the same opinion as the 37-year-old Briton.
Speaking during a Sky F1 panel discussion, Davidson reflected on the circumstances leading up to the final lap where Verstappen overtook Hamilton and subsequently won the race. He said:
“Well, look, they were really bruised from it. They still are and rightly so. It was unfair like Karun (Chandhok) said. I think they were really robbed. Lewis (Hamilton) was robbed of that race victory without question. Yes, it was manipulated to finish under racing circumstances with only five cars allowed to overtake.”
The FIA are investigating Race Director Michael Masi's decision-making and should reveal the results before the new season gets underway in Bahrain in March.
