2021 F1 Calendar

Current Formula One related news, information and discussion.
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#166

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Bottom post of the previous page:

This is not really a calendar related point, but it is in relation to changes being made to a track being used this year so here on those grounds.

CHANGES TO BE MADE TO THE ALBERT PARK TRACK

Firstly I will say these or some changes were always planned to be made to the track after this years race, in time for next years race and are directly aimed at improving the circuit for the new gen cars we expect next year. The fact that the race has been postponed until November means the best time for the work will mean it will be ready by November in time for the race.

The track will also undergo a full resurfacing for the first time since the track was first used back in 1995.

Several corners of the lakeside street circuit will be ‘realigned’ to improve the F1 racing, along with new bitumen that promotes more tyre wear. (I hope it doesnt throw a curveball to Pirelli on that basis)

The upgrade is expected to cost somewhere in the range of $10 million to $15 million. The resurfacing and corner alterations are due to begin soon for completion by May, so plenty of time for the track to be fully ready and bedded in, in time for the race.

The pit lane has already been widened with the deletion of the grass verge on the inside of the main straight. This is designed to raise the F1 pit lane speed from 60 km/h to 80 km/h, reducing the time penalty of tyre stops.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott wrote:
Westacott confirmed the plans to resurface the 5.3 km Albert Park course and modify the layout in time for the AGP in November.

“We were always going to try to do it in 2021, but it would’ve been after the (originally scheduled) 2021 March event. So we’re actively looking now at what we can do to achieve the resurfacing works prior to this November 21.

“That would mean we’d need to get those works completed by May. The engineers are looking at what’s possible to achieve in that timeframe.”

He also revealed that the new track surface would be more abrasive to promote increased tyre wear to open up more F1 race strategies.

“We’re starting to have a good look at the asphalt mix as well because Melbourne is not necessarily high-degradation from a tyre wear point of view,” Westacott said.

“The feedback we’ve had from F1 is that we’re sort of mid-way. We’re not the most aggressive, we’re not the least aggressive – we just don’t do much to tyres

“By having a slightly higher abrasiveness of the asphalt mix, we’ll be able to get more strategies because you’re going to get higher tyre deg and coupled with the other changes, you get something that’s a little more interesting to the cars.”

Renewing the track will also remove bumps that have developed in several corners over a quarter of a century, although F1 drivers – who were told of the resurfacing plan in 2019 – have warned that the ruts are part of the character and challenge of Albert Park.

AGPC engineers are looking at adding slight banking to some turns and making the back section along the lake from Turn 6 to 13 faster, turning it into a new DRS zone.

“The preliminary stuff we’ve done is about camber adjustments,” Westacott explained. “The principles are we want to reward brave driving and good driving, and be able to penalise poor driving. The criticism has been that some of the turns at the moment are not wide enough or there’s not alternate lines into apexes.

“The work that’s being looked at shows that you can widen appropriately Turns 1 and 6, you can modify 9 and 10, you can really achieve some good things at Turn 13 by providing alternate entry lines into those turns. We’re only talking one, two or three metres of adjustment.

“But the other thing that we could also do is adjust camber. At the moment, 13 for instance, I’m told, has negative camber on the outside line. Now, if we had that as all being positive camber and you widen it, suddenly you’re getting an opportunity to provide a number of different lines to the apex.

“We won’t be getting to Zandvoort-type (steep) banking, but if currently it’s a negative two per cent, if we can get positive three, four or five per cent, then it’s a pretty good outcome from a driver’s point of view and it means you can actually be more aggressive to potentially overtake on the outside if someone is trying to defend on the inside.”

The idea is also to remove the Turns 9/10 chicane and increase overtaking opportunities at the tight Turn 13 right-hander.

“There is a view that says if you look at some changes on Turn 9 and 10, you can actually increase the speed around lakeside and therefore what you’re going to be doing is you’re making more of a feature of Turn 13. That has merit.

“The role we’re playing is working with Formula 1 – Ross Brawn and his team – to look at these likely simulations and performances of a 2022-spec car, because that needs to be taken into account in these changes as well.”
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Image

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#167

Post by PTRACER »

So, just to summarise:

- They want to turn off-camber corners into positive camber corners
- They want to remove the bumps
- They want to remove the chicane at 8/9

I really hope for some tarmac run-off areas too, that will definitely improve the racing! :smiley:
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#168

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

PTRACER wrote: 3 years ago So, just to summarise:

- They want to turn off-camber corners into positive camber corners
Justifying the off camber into positive camber they think will allow varied lines and people trying to overtake round the outside. I will eat a plate of my catfood when I see some pull a round the outside pass there.

Im also a bit suss about the theory that making it a high deg surface to wear tyres quicker is a good one. More pit stops will be wanted but because they have widened pit lane the speed limit will be 80kph and make it justifiable to stop more often.

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#169

Post by PTRACER »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 3 years ago
PTRACER wrote: 3 years ago So, just to summarise:

- They want to turn off-camber corners into positive camber corners
Justifying the off camber into positive camber they think will allow varied lines and people trying to overtake round the outside. I will eat a plate of my catfood when I see some pull a round the outside pass there.

Im also a bit suss about the theory that making it a high deg surface to wear tyres quicker is a good one. More pit stops will be wanted but because they have widened pit lane the speed limit will be 80kph and make it justifiable to stop more often.
Yes, I don't see it either. F1 needs to change, not the circuit. I always liked Albert Park as it is.
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#170

Post by MonteCristo »

If they get rid of that chicane, that'll make for one hell of a 100% throttle run.
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#171

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

MonteCristo wrote: 3 years ago If they get rid of that chicane, that'll make for one hell of a 100% throttle run.
....and no doubt a longer DRS zone. :dunno:

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#172

Post by MonteCristo »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 3 years ago
MonteCristo wrote: 3 years ago If they get rid of that chicane, that'll make for one hell of a 100% throttle run.
....and no doubt a longer DRS zone. :dunno:
They'd probably make it a double DRS zone.

Imagine all the passing and then re-passing. Joy!
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#173

Post by Circuitmaster »

I dunno how much DRS you can have around there.. it's not exactly straight.

I must say, the chicane removal is pretty ballsy. The sequence of corners directly afterwards was already pretty challenging. (By which I of course mean, I messed up there while playing PlayStation)

Also.. I could have sworn I'd seen a round the outside pass at Turn 13 once before. Norris or Riccardo or someone like that. Can someone with a better memory remember for me?
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#174

Post by Antonov »

Circuitmaster wrote: 3 years ago
Also.. I could have sworn I'd seen a round the outside pass at Turn 13 once before. Norris or Riccardo or someone like that. Can someone with a better memory remember for me?
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#175

Post by Michkov »

PTRACER wrote: 3 years ago - They want to remove the chicane at 8/9
They way I'm reading this is that they are resurfacing the public parts of 8/9 the chicane isn't part of the day to day road as far as I can tell.
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#176

Post by erwin greven »

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#177

Post by DoubleFart »

I remember using that shortcut on F1 98.
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#178

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Danny Ric has put his hand up this morning to have been, along with other drivers, consulted on the track changes proposed back in the planning stage of the update back in 2019. That makes me feel a bit better about some of the changes, the fact that drivers had input into the redesign.
“I was aware of some talks about that and I was shown a few options of maybe track layout, and they asked a few of us actually, drivers, to give some input,” he said when asked about resurfacing and alteration works..

“I was one that gave some feedback at the time, so I’m certainly not claiming anything, but I was aware of it.

“It was quite cool that they brought us drivers in on the conversation to understand what would make the race, I guess, better as a spectacle and more exciting.”

“It’s always been a fun track to drive around, but the Sundays can sometimes be a little bit difficult for overtaking,”

“If it helps out the Sunday and increases more overtaking and, I think just wheel to wheel battles, that’s obviously what we want.”
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#179

Post by Antonov »

Monaco has started its work on circuit construction. So I guess it's a go for them.
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#180

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 3 years ago This is not really a calendar related point, but it is in relation to changes being made to a track being used this year so here on those grounds.

CHANGES TO BE MADE TO THE ALBERT PARK TRACK

Firstly I will say these or some changes were always planned to be made to the track after this years race, in time for next years race and are directly aimed at improving the circuit for the new gen cars we expect next year. The fact that the race has been postponed until November means the best time for the work will mean it will be ready by November in time for the race.

The track will also undergo a full resurfacing for the first time since the track was first used back in 1995.

<SNIP>
Some images....

Image
Changes to Albert Park will reduce lap times by 5 seconds.

As can be seen from the piccie above the biggest change is to T9/10 aka the Chicane. Other corners will be widened and reprofiled with the goal of promoting better racing.

The track record for the current layout is a Lewis Hamilton’s 1’20.486, set during qualifying for the 2019 race. Lap times around the mid-1’15 range are expected following the modifications, which will include a complete resurfacing of the course.

Image

Summary of the changes:

Corner Change
1 Widened by 2.5 metres, new camber
3 Widened by four metres
6 Widened by 7.5 metres, increasing cornering speeds from 149kph to 219kph
9-10 Chicane removed, creating longest flat-out section on circuit. Possible new DRS zone
13 Entry to corner straightened, corner reprofiled and widened by 3.5 metres
15 Widened by 3.5 metres, new camber

Also the pitlane widening will increase the pit lane speed limit for shorter pit stop travel time.
There is talk of a 4th DRS zone. :omg:

Work has already started and this aerial video of the works shows the changes quite well.


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#181

Post by Circuitmaster »

Oh man, they're speeding up turn 6 too. That I didn't realise. Again, very ballsy.

I'm not sure I'm down with them messing with T3 though. That's a classic corner, should be grade II listed or whatever the Aussie version is.
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