#albert park

[midnight-chevy]

AUS GP WEEKEND OVERVIEWWWW

[raphoupix]

Lando recap of the 2024 season 3rd weekend of the season: Australia 🇦🇺

Results Qualifying: P4 Race: P3 Championship: P6

[raikkoberg]

words of wisdom

[boxboxblog]

Track Analysis: Albert Park

Cheers to the new season everyone, I will be staying up for quali tonight (or well, very early tomorrow) so I thought I might as well get some posts out there while I wait. So without further ado, please enjoy our first in depth track post of the season.

This 3.28 mile track is a street circuit in the heart of Melbourne, winding by the beautiful Albert Park Lake. The host of the Australian GP since 1996, Albert Park combines public roads and built sections to create an interesting challenge for both drivers and teams. One of the biggest challenges of this track is the bumpy nature of the road, which means tire degradation is heavily important. It is also one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and a lovely mixture of technical sections with high-speed straights.

Sector 1:

Turns 1 and 2: Coming right after the beginning of the track's short straight, this right-left chicane offers very early overtaking opportunities for drivers and requires quick precision. This is the area where a lot of drama can happen, especially on the first lap as the cars are tightly packed together.

First DRS Zone: A medium length straight between two chicanes, this is an area where drivers build a lot of speed. They have to balance acceleration out of the first two turns with proper braking into the next ones, very difficult indeed.

Turns 3 and 4: The first turn of this sequence is not as abrupt as the next, and allows drivers to ease into the tightness that is turn 4. Turn 3 is probably the more preferred overtake spot, and there have been a number of races decides by what goes on in this area.

Turn 5: A smoother turn that leads them into a quick area of the circuit, where they must build speed to fly through the curved straight that brings them to sector 2.

Sector 2:

Turns 6,7,8: The first turn in this section is by far the sharpest kink in sector 2, and leads to the much smoother and quick turns that follow. This is once more an area for building speed, especially as they enter the second DRS zone.

Second DRS Zone: Exiting out of the very rounded and wide turn 8, this DRS zone is a fun little curve that gives the crowd a great shot of the cars. Often this is the zones where drivers set up to overtake in the next corner.

Sector 3:

Turns 9 and 10: A speedy little chicane, it its a great overtaking point and some of the fastest tight corners on the circuit, meaning drivers must find the perfect balance between being quick and steady.

Third DRS Zone: Another great speed area, one of four DRS zones that really makes Albert Park a treat to watch, and it leads into one of the sharpest turns on the track, meaning drivers aim to build speed in the beginning and middle, but also balance their breaking so they get through the next turn safely.

Turn 11: Very sharp turn, almost 90 degrees in fact, and has led to a lot of incidents in this area. Anyone sat in this particular section should be prepared for a show of some kind. The sharpness of this turn and the very very short straight that leads to the next sharp corner means that some drivers will go all in on speed between the turns, while others lean more toward a solid balance.

Turns 12,13,14: A relatively sharp turn that leads into THE sharpest turn on the track (brilliantly so) followed by another relatively sharp turn. This section is very very technical and tests the driver's reflexes to the highest level, especially because they will need to accelerate fast into the next section

Fourth DRS Zone: The final DRS zone is a very long straight that flies past the start/end line. This is probably the area where they build the most speed, as it is a very long and very straight straight. The DRS zones here means you get some very dramatic overtakes past the pit lane as well, but in general is more of a set up for the first turn than anything.

Strategy:

Albert Park is most often a two stop strategy race, though as we saw last year teams have been opting for one-stops in unexpected races (think Leclerc in Monza last year). The bumpy nature of the circuit is harsh on tires, which means management is very important. The sharp turns and extreme speeds also mean that tire deg is high. While maybe not as high as some tracks like Bahrain, it is still something to keep in mind. The tire choice often varies, but as it is with most two-stops they usually go for hard in the middle stint and soft/medium (depending on factors) for the other two. If any team opts for a one stop, they will probably only use medium and hard, and teams who have done this in the past tend to use medium first and then hard. Another factor concerning tires is track evolution. Because this circuit uses public streets, the amount of rubber will change drastically throughout the weekend, which means (especially during quali) track evolution is important to results.

The weather in Australia is also something to consider. It is meant to be relatively hot during the 2025 race weekend, which means cars will have to prepare for the strain high temperatures put both on their tires and their engines. Some cars do well in this weather, some don't, and their cooling systems must be heavily keyed to handle any of that. Rain is also predicted, and as everyone who watches F1 knows, that sort of weather can change the face of a race in seconds. Most teams will prepare multiple strategies to plan for this, or they should anyway.

As for the set up, it really depends on the car's weaknesses and what the driver wants to focus on. Because Albert Park combines very technical chicanes with extremely fast straights, balanced set up would probably work best. High downforce would allow a driver to keep strong grip through the technical sections, while a low downforce set up would allow them to build the most speed in the straights. So the safest bet is balanced, but some drivers have areas of talent that teams can pander to. For example a driver who has brilliant precision could probably have a lower downforce set up so they can take advantage of the speed boost in the straights. Looking at engine power, this track really rewards strong engines due to the quick and relatively long straights, so high-powered engine mappings can often lead to brilliant results.

Upsides and Downsides:

Albert Park is a beautiful track, especially as a viewer, due to its great mix of features. It's got the classics of a street circuit, the beauty of the park, the fascinating show that technical sections give, and a great many chances to overtake (especially due to the four DRS zones, which have always excited me personally). It also has such fantastic speeds so that for those who find technical circuits quite boring, there is always something to watch in every single sector.

The biggest downside of Albert Park is the lack of elevation changes. While this flatness leads to great speed, the lack of undulation can the whole experience a lot less dynamic for both riders and viewers, and it reduces the variations of the racing line. Not the biggest downside, but for those who love tracks like Zandervoort (and the beautiful, beautiful banking) or Mexico City, this will be a very different viewing experience.

Alright, that is my brief overview. I will see you all later for the first quali of the season.

Cheers,

-B

[saintescuderia]

welcome to the mini series of the random, mindless thoughts had by a poet disguised in an orange jumpsuit watching cars speed by all weekend. enjoy!

--- note: 5am starts, 7pm finishes. all four days. gotta love formula 1!

thursday: media day!

i want the ferrari jacket

there are school kids here?

i don’t want the ferrari jacket

$7 for a small can of red bull is THEFT

especially since they broke the cost cap

me walking through the “accredited personnel” gate and tapping my special lanyard is a CORE memory

i think my uber driver dropped me off on the opposite side of the track

*stressing about being unable to admire the sights of albert park bc i’m stress-running from the opposite end of the track to my station*

pls don’t be a dick and say i’m late - i know

how is a 5am wake up not early enough HOW?

“last year i was stationed at the corner where charles spun out.”

sole thought = 💀💀💀💀

i. fucking. love. cars.

the whole SENSORY experience of a race ffffffffffffuuuuuck

“be careful taking pictures because that security camera is on us and is straight to race control and the FIA.” is such a cool sentence to hear

a porsche gtr should not be covered with branding idc

i’m definitely going to abuse caffeine this weekend

friday: FP1 / FP2

the sun is rising over the lake as i walk on the albert park track and i’m happy to be alive

especially as i found a toilet that isn’t a port-a-loo

ah, a cafe that does good decent coffee thank GOD

am i going to pay $10 for a croissant?

i'm going to pay $10 for a croissant.

i lived in paris but this one fresh lune choc croissant has topped it all

no like there will never be another croissant experience to beat me eating a fresh pain au chocolat on a f1 circuit as the sun rises over the water with the melbourne skyline in the background

aramco engineers are walking behind me as i shit talk about f1, nice

“it is an increasingly unique experience peeing in a port-a-loo beside a formula one track as cars race by.”

120’000 is a LOT of people

how has the float not broken yet?

metro boomin has released an album as i stand before live formula one. life has PEAKED

fernando alonso is the first F1 driver i ever saw live

there is a shift in formula one as the heritage fans of motor racing are on the out as the next generation of fans absorbed in driver hype and social media takes over and we see this in how F1 has created the new US tracks and made them all into spectacles and fans are here because of it being “cool” instead of caring about cars

… maybe i should buy the redbull jacket instead?

bonus: sole thought during the pitlane walk for the marshals

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

saturday: FP3 / qualifying

the relief of thinking you’re late and then seeing someone you know HA

commentators are now contractually obligated to bring up saudi arabia every time they talk about ollie bearman

jesus they’re as bad as the f1 girlies

i have to watch the grand prix replay after all of this i have no idea what’s actually going on

CHARLES GOES FASTER THAN MAX HA

kimi spinning out has me actively wanting to cry

a safety car FROM THE PIT EXIT

welcome to F2 everyone 👏👏👏

not me lying to the cute irish guy hitting on me about @saintescuderia

a big fat ha at the eshays holding their puffer jackets - even they can’t stand the heat

don’t flex on me that you’re here at F1 when you don’t even know what’s going on yourself bruhhhh

to the red bull fan telling me i’m “dramatic” for rolling under the fence (it’s how marshals have to do it) pls get help

$7 for a calispo is a JOKE

recording F1 quali isn’t even worth it bc they're TOO FAST

JOKES I GOT A PHOTO WITH ALBONO

i’m very lucky for my team of marshals :))))))))))

i’m only going to eat half my muffin

*finishes the whole thing*

sunday: race!

KIMI ANTONELLI!

do i ask for a photo?

*every photo of charles leclerc being abused flashes through my mind*

nah leave him be

five minutes later: i regret not asking him

the group of aussies dressed as lance stroll drunk at 9am have my heart and my respect

i need a coffee

seeing kimi walk right by me has now made so much invested for f2

i really need a coffee

yep they screwed kimi with all those safety cars

i really, really need a coffee

we get to go ON TRACK? for the DRIVERS PARADE

*starts practicing “get well soon” in spanish*

my heart is BEATING

lol jokes carlos didn’t even look at us

*checks footage to see that i accidentally just recorded guanyu zhou next to carlos the whole time :))))*

lol are they putting lewis and charles together all the time?

every marshal: “that was the shittest parade ever.”

i need a drink

pls don’t talk to me for the next two hours

don't meet your heroes kids

but also why the fuck did they do the float in one big car? and do INTERVIEWS? this is legit the one time the drivers can be there JUST for the FANS

F1 can PISS OFF

race start = okay it's happening

waitwaitwaitwaitWAITDIDIJUSTSEECARLOSOVERTAKEMAX?!

nevermind i love him

"race control has asked that you calm down, marshals are supposed to be neutral."

lol at the entirety of albert cheering that max is slowly coming to a DNF

mclaren swapping oscar for lando is DISGUSTING fuck zak brown

somehow, i've forgotten that charles is just there

SEND IT CARLOS VAmos

(this is all because i told you que te mejores pronto!)

daniel ricciardo....man..... aus gp can't market you like this.......

damn yuki got HANDS

ferrari and mclaren having the top 4 places is just *chefs kiss*

lewis just had to stall just pass my sector like i hope ur okay but couldn't u not be ok in front of me?

red bull deserves this after all the FLACK i've copped from red bulls fans ("dramatic" MY ASS)

wait george russell ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

singapore all over again. i can already see the memes.

somehow marshalling a gp has you closer and more removed from the whole thing i have no idea what's going on

(literally the only time i used my F1TV live timing)

finishing after the safety car means i can't stick my head out and clap for carlos FUCK OFF

wait, he came up right UP TO MY SIDE OF THE TRACK TO WAVE

... do you think he noticed me?

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Midnight crocheting + qualifying?? Sign me up!!

[httpsserene]

how turn 4, 6, 10c and 13 of the albert park grand prix circuit be looking at the formula one cars:

[lecrashes]

so glad ollie is okay but the hilarity of a rookie in the wall before the race even started

this is going to be a long season for the mechanics

[avida-heidia-5]

CAAAAAAAARRRRRRRLOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

THE WIN STREAK IS FINALLY BROKEN!!!!!

Race win número tres!!!!! 🏆🏆🏆

From having appendicitis to a race win. What a drive! What a comeback! What a smooth operation! That’s one for the history books. 😁🥰

And that radio message: “Life is a rollercoaster. Life is incredible, sometimes.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭

Pure poetry right there! Put that on a t-shirt!

We also get a Charlos and a Carlando podium, which makes this race extra special! ❤️🧡

This calls for a celebration! (Playing Smooth Operator at full blast!) Cheers! 🍾🌶️

[vintagef1]

"The start of a fairytale season for the team from Brackley, on this day in 2009 💛 A 1-2 finish at the Australian GP with Jenson Button leading home Rubens Barrichello 🏆" - march 29, 2024 📷 @.mercedesamgf1 / instagram

[danipedrosas-boatest]

LOGAN GIRLIES RISE WE’RE ABOUT TO GO AND GET HIM HIS CAR BACK RAAAAAAAAAAAA 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅

[raikkoberg]

Albert Park 2025 you shall go down the history books engraved in bold capital golden letters.

[cosas-de-la-wida2]

[pitlanearchive]

Ted Kravitz discusses how Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton’s number 1 mechanics have been switched from 2015 to 2016.

Source

[asvospace]

THE SMOOTH OPERATOR IS BACK!!! 🏆🥇🏎️💨

[mafiosaseries]

First victory of the Season 🌶🔥

It's Smooth Operator Time🌶🔥