The 2022 F1 Australian GP is the third race on the calendar for the ongoing season. The race weekend starts on Friday, April 08, when Free Practice 1 commences, and will run through until Sunday, April 10, when the chequered flag falls.
Albert Park Circuit is set to host an F1 Grand Prix after a three-year-long hiatus, with the sport having last raced in the country in 2019, while the 2020 edition was canceled following the global outbreak of COVID-19.
Traditionally, Australia hosted the inaugural race of the season, but for the last two seasons, Bahrain has taken over the role.
The Venue
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Type: Semi-permanent Street Circuit
Circuit Length: 5.279 km (3.280 mi)
First race held: 1996 (Albert Park)
The venue for the 2022 F1 Australian GP is the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria – a semi-permanent street circuit built around Albert Park Lake. The circuit features an equal number of high-speed and low-speed corners and is considered quite easy to drive.
Purpose-built for the inaugural event in 1996, the Albert Park Circuit has often been criticized for its lack of overtaking potential. In order to address the problems, the venue has been extensively modified over the last few months.
The newly revamped track features 16 turns and is expected to be much faster than the previous layout. Some of the modifications include turning the erstwhile chicane at turns 9 and 10 into a fast, sweeping complex. This is aimed at increasing overtaking opportunities heading into the faster turns 11 and 12, which are immediately followed by a DRS zone.
The new layout features 26 turns and two DRS sections, and the average speed throughout the circuit is expected to increase by 30 kmph (18.64 mph) compared to the previous layout. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton managed an average speed in excess of 235 kmph (146 mph) during his pole lap in 2019.
Furthermore, the new modifications are also expected to make the lap times much faster. Currently, Michael Schumacher holds the race lap record at the circuit with a 1:24:125, set with his Ferrari F2004 at the 2004 Australian GP.
While many parts of the circuit have been modified and resurfaced, Albert Park can be quite bumpy due to it being a temporary facility. The circuit is often slippery on Friday to a lack of running, and hence grip tends to build over the weekend as the track rubbers in.
The track features little to no elevation changes, but still requires a well-balanced chassis, with an emphasis on front-end grip.
