![\"\"](\"https:\/\/f1vault.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Albert_Park_Circuit_2021.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRound three of the season sees F1 return to the Victorian state capital, Melbourne for the first time since the aborted 2020 season opener. Since we last raced in Melbourne two years ago the circuit has undergone its biggest redesign since the race returned to Albert Park in 1996.<\/p>\n
Albert Park is a street circuit, however it one which allows for close racing around the 3.2 miles. It is a twisty but fast circuit that has seen several dramatic and edge of the seat racing as the Autumn begins down under. Drivers, however, enjoy the nature of the circuit and it can push drivers to the limit.<\/p>\n
The circuit is like another street circuit it takes time to rubber in, but making mistakes isn\u2019t as costly here. But the biggest mistakes are punishable as into some of the corners which require big braking points are lined with gravel and grass. As the drivers push to the limit in qualifying mistakes are common.<\/p>\n
For this year’s race to co-inside with the new regulation changes Albert Park has undergone a renovation and resurfacing since it reopened in 1996, with several sections and corners being widened to increase overtaking. One of the biggest changes to the circuit is the removal of the Clark Chicane (previously Turns Nine & Ten) and Ascari Chicane (Fourteen) into a right-hander, all to improve overtaking.<\/p>\n
Despite the new cars being slower organisers believe that the cars will be five seconds a lap faster, thanks to the removal of the chicanes. Albert Park is a very different street circuit to Jeddah, with more run-off areas however these are mainly grass or gravel which carries risk of being beached rather than the tarmac run-offs we are used to at more modern circuits.<\/p>\n
The race normal can show which cars are good all-rounders, as you need a good combination of speed and downforce. It can be hard to overtake, but as with any street circuit, it will evolve rapidly throughout the weekend. This means that when we get into qualifying the battle to make it into Q3 and for pole can be close, as the circuit is rubbered in.<\/p>\n
The first race at the rebuilt Albert Park took place in 1996, its layout remains based on a circuit first used in 1953 making it one of two circuits outside of Europe and the Americas to host championship and non-Grands Prix. However, the original circuit ran anti-clockwise as opposed to the current clockwise circuit.<\/p>\n
The parkland circuit isn\u2019t a typical street circuit it self contained in parkland in a similar way to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.<\/p>\n
Montreal which hosts the Canadian Grand Prix. The debut race saw a dramatic return of Grand Prix racing to Albert Park when the Jordan of Martin Brundle was launched into the air in an enormous accident. Footage of the crash, and Brundle’s subsequent rush back to the pits to take the spare car for the restart, ensured the first race in Melbourne gained widespread coverage. The race was won by Williams’s Damon Hill.<\/p>\n
McLaren went on to win the following year with Mika H\u00e4kkinen leading a one-two ahead of David Coulthard.<\/p>\n
Ferrari won the first of four out of five consecutive races in 1999, \u00a0Northern Irishman Eddie Irvine took his maiden victory after the all-conquering McLarens of H\u00e4kkinen and Coulthard retired before half-distance. Schumacher would dominate in 2000 and 2001, but the 2001 race was overshadowed by a crash between broth Ralf and Jacques Villeneuve, when debris from the accident killed marshal, Graham Beveridge.<\/p>\n
Ralf the following year would crash with his brother’s teammate Rubens Barrichello, causing an eleven car pile-up. Following the restart, Michael dominated the race to take a third straight win in Melbourne with the main story from that race being Mark Webber\u2019s recovery to finish third.<\/p>\n
2004 would see Schumacher lead teammate Rubens Barichello home in the all-conquering car. The following two years the winds of change with Fernando Alonso coming through the field to score a podium from eleventh, before win ninth an accident packed 2006 race.<\/p>\n
A third podium followed with him second behind Kimi Raikkonen, but Lewis Hamilton\u2019s debut saw him finish third the first driver to finish on the podium in their debut race in over a decade. The Englishman went onto win the 2008 race which had three safety car periods and only six finishers. In 2009 Jenson Button took the victory, driving for debutant team Brawn GP, which was having its first race after Ross Brawn had bought the team following Honda’s withdrawal from Formula One.<\/p>\n
Hamilton was excluded from that race because of the \u2018liegate\u2019 scandal, after misleading the stewards after passing Jarno Trulli under the safety car, following a crash between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica, who had been fighting for second place. Button driving for McLaren the following season took victory again after a gamble on tyres moving to second then inheriting the lead when Vettel retired.<\/p>\n
The beginning of the hybrid era in 2014 saw Nico Rosberg take victory the fourth victory down under for the family. Kevin Magnussen followed in Hamilton\u2019s footsteps becoming the third driver to finish on the podium followed by teammate Jenson Button.<\/p>\n
This followed the disqualification of Daniel Ricciardo originally finished in second place for Red Bull Racing, but was later disqualified due to illegal fuel flow throughout the race.<\/p>\n
Hamilton would bounce back with a commanding victory the following season, after taking the lead on the opening lap. He then only lost the lead through the pit stops before regaining it when Rosberg stopped.<\/p>\n
Rosberg returned to the top step the following year with the most dramatic incident being on lap seventeen, Alonso ran his McLaren into the back of Esteban Guti\u00e9rrez, being lifted into the air at 300 km\/h (190 mph) and hitting the left-hand barrier before subsequently rolling over several times before coming to rest upside-down against the barrier at turn three, experiencing a peak force of 46G.<\/p>\n
Vettel returned Ferrari to the top step of the podium for the first time in a decade, after passing Hamilton and new teammate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton not really being able to challenge for victory after he was held up for several laps behind Max Verstappen. Vettel made it back to back wins in 2018 when he remained ahead of Hamilton in the pit stop phase, while Renault scored its first double podium since 2011.<\/p>\n
| Round<\/td>\n | 03 of 23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race<\/td>\n | Heineken Australian Grand Prix 2022<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venue<\/td>\n | Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Configuration<\/td>\n | 2021<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Circuit Length<\/td>\n | 5.279 km (3.280 mi)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laps<\/td>\n | 58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race Distance<\/td>\n | 306.240 km (190.298 mi)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap Record<\/td>\n | Race<\/td>\n | N\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outright<\/td>\n | N\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most wins drivers<\/td>\n | Lex Davison (4)<\/p>\n Michael Schumacher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most wins manufacture<\/td>\n | McLaren (12)<\/p>\n Ferrari<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Fast facts<\/h2>\nEvent timetable<\/h2>\n
|