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Formula 1 2011: Round 1-Australia
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23-03-2011 12:07am#1The long winter is almost over and the new Formula 1 season is now just days away with Melbourne to play host to the opening Grand Prix of 2011.
Like any opening race of a season Melbourne has a lot of questions hanging over it. Red Bull still look set to have the fastest car on the grid but has Ferrari found enough time to compete at the front once more? Can McLaren iron out its reliability woes and challenge for the title after a terrible winter?
The Mercedes upgrade is impressive but has it found enough performance? Perhaps the most intriguing question though is whether we will see more overtaking due to the movable rear wing and also how drivers will cope with the new demands of the Pirelli tyres.
Answers to all of these questions should become apparent in Australia.
The Albert Park Circuit
Albert Park has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1996 with the temporary street circuit gaining a reputation as a firm favourite for both fans and drivers.
The circuit, like many street tracks, constantly improves throughout the weekend with each lap seeing more and more rubber put down and because of this evolution the goal posts constantly change in relation to setting the car up perfectly for the race on Sunday. The greatest task therefore facing drivers and engineers is not to find the best setup on Friday but to build up their performance so that they can find the setup needed for the race, which is vastly different from the setup required during practice. It is therefore not unknown for drivers to be on the pace on Friday but lose their way as the weekend progresses and a promising weekend to peter out by the time the race rolls around on Sunday.What are the main talking points before this race?While the Pirelli tyres have been at the centre of attention throughout testing they should have an even more difficult time this weekend with the Melbourne circuit well known as being exceptionally abrasive and leading to much higher wear rates than at other circuits. To get an understanding of how this weekend's race could unfold a cursory look at the 2009 race could be quite beneficial.
That year saw the tyres perform as they are expected to this season. Availing of fresher rubber Robert Kubica closed dramatically on the leaders by a margin of two seconds per lap and used his extra grip to challenge Sebastian Vettel into the third corner. The German however was unwilling to cede the corner and the pair clashed, resulting in instant retirement for Kubica while Vettel hobbled around another couple of corners before succumbing to the damage. With the 2011 tyres clearly on a knifedge we could see one of the busiest races of the season for the mechanics in pit lane.
With pit stop times sure to prove crucial during this race it is worth noting that the likely total time lost by a good pit stop will be 26 seconds.
While there is great hope for increased overtaking due to the moveable rear wing and the high wear of the Pirelli tyres Melbourne has traditionally been a circuit bereft of overtaking. While the moveable wing will be utilised on the start finish straight there is little reason to believe that there will be a significant increase in overtaking because of the shallow braking area and the profile of the corner. The primary overtaking area on the circuit is into the slow third corner where drivers have the room to attempt a manoeuvre. The challenges in overtaking in Melbourne were clearly illustrated in recent year's with Mark Webber's failed attempts at overtaking the likes of Lewis Hamilon.
Because of its nature as a street circuit the safety car has played a prominent role in numerous races in Melbourne and with action expected this weekend it would be highly unlikely that the race will be run uninterrupted.
Past races from Albert Park
The inaugural race in 1996 saw a stunning Formula 1 debut from Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian came to his opening race with huge expectations on his shoulders as a result of his famous name and hi successes in Indy Car racing for the previous two years.
After the failure of drivers such as Michael Andretti there was a degree of scepticism from teams in relation to hiring an Indy Car star but the ease with which Villeneuve integrated himself into the sport dispelled any fears about his abilities. Driving for Williams Villeneuve started from pole position and looked set to take a debut victory but an oil leak curtailed him in the closing laps and Damon Hill take the opening race victory of what would become his championship year.
The 1999 race was particularly special for Irish fans with Eddie Irvine taking his maiden F1 triumph after an action packed race. In practice and qualifying the McLarens' of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard dominated proceedings and it looked likely that the silver arrows would disappear into the distance, as they had the previous year.
But this would be a humbling experience for the reigning champions with Hakkinen's day starting badly after the Finn left the pits while still connected to the gantry. This lack of concentration from McLaren was a great insight into the sense of panic that the team had ahead of the race after a winter fraught with reliability issues, not unlike 2011.
With both McLaren's removed from the equation before lap 17, with hydraulic problems, Irvine found himself in prime position to take the win. When Irvine's Ferrari teammate, Michael Schumacher, made a phantom pit stop at half distance the dye was cast for the Irishman to take the win ahead of Heinz-Harold Frentzen's Jordan in arguably one of the nations finest races.
The 2000 race was significant for many reasons; the race marked the beginning of Michael Schumacher's domination of Grand Prix racing, it was also Jaguar's first race-and with a disappointing double retirement it also foretold the story of what would transpire for the team before being purchased by Red Bull. This race was also the beginning of the Williams-BMW relationship and saw Jenson Button make his debut for the squad.
It was a very challenging debut for Button, qualifying at the back of the field after a troubled qualifying session before racing through the field into a points scoring position before retiring with an engine failure. Williams though took solace in Ralf Schumacher again taking the third step on the podium, as he had done 12 months earlier.
In more recent years Lewis Hamilton made a stunning debut in the 2007 edition. Starting from third position Hamilton shocked everyone with a daring race that would net him a podium finish. While it was apparent in junior formulae that Hamilton was an exceptional talent this race showed the world of casual fans just how good he could be. Hamilton led four laps and before the second stop he was running ahead of his teammate, Fernando Alonso. Even though Alonso pitted before Lewis earlier in the race the team brought the Englishman into the pits and gave Alonso one last lap in clear air. The double world champion managed to open enough of a lead and took second at the flag behind Kimi Raikkonen. While the established stars took a greater points haul, Hamilton showed everyone that he needed to be reckoned with right from the off.
When Jenson Button won in 2009 Formula 1 rejoiced in the unlikely success of the Brawn team that was created from the ashes of Honda. Button was thoroughly dominant all weekend; taking pole position, fastest lap and the win. It was a fairytale start to the season for Brawn GP which had not even tested the new car until the final test. Once the car hit the track it was clear that it was a potential race winner but their dominance in Australia showed just how fast the car was and
Button's gamble paid off last year
Last year's in Melbourne saw Sebastian Vettel dominate qualifying with a near perfect lap. The German looked odds-on to take an easy win and give his world title challenge some momentum following his spark plug problem in Bahrain. The race however would follow no script that could have been contemplated on the night before the season began.
As mentioned earlier the weather in Melbourne can throw up some surprising conditions and last year was no exception. While qualifying was run in warm, dry conditions race day beckoned with a chill in the air and rain on the track. Everyone would start the race on intermediate tyres but after only a handful of laps Button was in trouble. His McLaren was struggling for grid and he was falling like a stone. With little to lose he made a daring decision to switch to slick tyres.
When he resumed the race it looked like a fool hardy decision. Thoughts like this were exacerbated when the reigning champion ran wide at turn three and trundled through the gravel. One can only imagine what Button and the McLaren pit wall was thinking at this time! Button, just like at Indianapolis in 2000, though quickly got acclimatised to the conditions and set about moving up through the order.
With Button setting purple times in the second and third sectors it was clear that the time had come for slick tyres....except that for most of the field it was at least two laps too early. Button, as at Indy, found the grip and managed to lap considerably faster than anyone else would have been able to. He fooled the rest of the field into pitting and managed to move up to second place when the race panned out.
It was a superb performance from the champion but trailing Vettel it was clear that he had no chance of winning the race; the Red Bull was just too fast. Vettel's hopes of a first 2010 victory though were dashed on lap 21 when he suffered what was originally though to have been a brake failure, it was later found to be a loss of torque drive to the wheel.
With Vettel removed from the equation Button could now concentrate on keeping the car on track and not making any mistakes. He was flawless until the chequered flag and took a well deserved win after looking to be in position to battle for the last few point positions after his challenging opening laps.
Weather for this weekend
With the race taking place at the end of the Australian summer the conditions for racing can vary tremendously, four seasons in one day is not unknown during the Grand Prix weekend. The forecast though looks promising for the weekend and while Melbourne has had scattered showers in the last week it seems that over the course of the weekend the weather should be quite promising.
There is a risk of rain on Friday but Saturday and Sunday look set to clear and there will be warm temperatures of 17c with no chance of rain according to the local forecasts.
BBC TV Timetable for the weekend
Friday 25 March
First practice: 0125-0305, BBC Red Button
Second practice: 0525-0705, BBC Red Button
Saturday 26 March
Third practice: 0255-0405, BBC Red Button
Qualifying: 0500-0730, BBC One
Qualifying repeat: 1300-1415, BBC One
Sunday 27 March
Grand Prix live: 0600-0900, BBC One
F1 forum: 0900-1000, BBC Red Button
Grand Prix repeat: 1300-1500, BBC One
Highlights: 1900-2000 and 0255-0355, BBC ThreeTagged:14
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If I had a bit lying around I'd get on that.Won €45 on Cheltenham to top up my PP account.
So I threw €5 on Schumi to win or place at 12/1 . . Bet it on a whim . . .
That's all it is, sad that it all has to be like this.astrofluff wrote: »Is it just me or is this just a media scam of some sort over the last couple of months for Australia to get a better deal with Bernie or perhaps to try and increase tickets sales this year?
Firstly, The Oz GP organisers at Melbourne say they are losing money hosting the event for the last couple of years, then Bernie says if they want cancel their contract he won't stand in their way but will obviously penalise them!
Next, we hear Bernie going on about having an Oz GP is good for F1 and if Australia is dropped F1 will lose massive a TV audience throughout the world. So there's me thinking he has already lined up another promoter and location in Australia and now yesterday the Melbourne promoter Ron Walker says the GP is secure beyond 2015!!!
Jeez, playing silly-buggers if you ask me.0 -
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dr.bollocko wrote: »Fantastic to have F1 back though.
Sure is. Great to hear the engines firing up again.
Is it not a bit of a disadvantage for Di Resta not getting to test today? What's the logic behind getting Hulkenberg to do the testing? Would have thought Di Resta needs all the time he can get in the car.0 -
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Didn't manage to stay awake for the second FP but it seems like McLaren have made a step forward with the new exhaust and front wing. I still get the impression that RBR have yet to show their true pace though, Vettel seemed to be using the rear wing very early coming out of the corners. Can't wait for qualifying now. 0
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Red Bulls and McLarens look like they really want a few less cars on the grid tomorrow. :P
Need to sort out markings on the tyres, would love to know who's on the hards and softs. One would assume Perez and Kobayashi are on the softs giving them that unexpected position.
EDIT: Alonso out on the softs in Q1, they must have forgotten to do a run yesterday. :rolleyes:
Also I wonder if the BBC will put an end to their love-in with Lotus any time soon. 0 -
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