Your ultimate guide of the Albert Park Circuit, ahead of the Australian GP
We are just a couple of days from the start of the Australian Grand Prix and here is all you need to know about that circuit.
We are just 2 days away from the start of the 2020 Formula 1 season. As usual, the opening date will take place in Melbourne, Australia for the 2020 Australian Grand Prix and the Albert Park circuit will be the right one for the first winner of this season is known. This article contains everything you need to know about this track.
The Australian Grand Prix will feature 58 laps in the Albert Park circuit, which has 5,303 kilometres, so the race distance will be 307,574 km. Michael Schumacher holds the lap record of the circuit. The seven-time world champion managed to achieve this record with a time of 1:24.125 in the 2004 season. The circuit in which F1 will race this weekend had its first Formula 1 Grand Prix a “long” time ago, more specific, in 1996. These are some general specifications of the track, so now comes the technical part of the circuit.
It is a track that contains a total of 16 corners - 10 to the right and 6 to the left -, in which it has multiple overtaking zones. The circuit has 3 DRS (Drag Reduction System) zones that can be used as long as a car is a second or less from another. The first DRS zone can be found on the main straight, which goes from turn 16 to turn 1, its detection zone is just before turn 14. The second DRS zone is located on the straight that goes from turn 2 to turn 3. The detection zone will be the same as the one of the first zone, that is, if a driver activates his DRS in the first zone, he can also activate it in the second. Finally, the last zone of this system is in the small straight that goes from turn 12 to turn 13, while its detection zone is before turn 11.
Like all circuits, the Albert Park circuit is divided into three sectors. The first sector begins at the finish line and ends a little before turn 6. Sector two starts from turn 6 to before turn 11, while sector 3 begins from turn 11 to the starting line. This layout has a high average aerodynamic load, because it is an urban circuit and has a moderate number of bumps, which can lead to a lack of grip on the tires. As we started this article, we are about to get started this great sport that many of us are passionate about. Who will take the first victory?
