20/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Formula 1 arrives in Australia for what will be the first race this year to be held as usual on a Sunday, after the first two rounds of the season were run on Saturday in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Australians love their motorsport and Ferrari is particularly popular here, making for a very special atmosphere. The Albert Park circuit is spectacular and everything points to it being an interesting weekend. Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis and he and team-mate Charles Leclerc will most likely be fighting at the front of the field, as they have done in the first two rounds.
The Albert Park track made its first appearance on the Formula 1 calendar in 1996. It features plenty of medium to high speed corners, with four DRS zones to provide plenty of excitement. Turn 1 is a quick chicane with walls on one side and a gravel run-off on the other, making it one of the trickiest sections, especially as it is followed by a long straight, before drivers brake heavily for turn 3, a favourite overtaking spot, as it comes at the end of a DRS zone, but mind out, here too there's a gravel run-off area lying in wait. Turns 9 and 10 are definitely among the quickest corners on the track and overtaking is possible here, although drivers can also opt to stay in the slipstream and then give it their all to pass into turn 11, where overtaking carries a bit less risk.
You could not get much further away from Europe, so all the track sessions take place in what are the very early hours of the morning back on the Old Continent. The two Friday free practice sessions start at 12.30 and 16.00 local time (02.30 and 06.00 CET) and these are also the times on Saturday for the third free practice and qualifying respectively. On Sunday the race, over 58 laps for 306.124 km, gets underway at 15.00 local (05.00 CET). It's late summer at the moment in Australia, so it will be warm, but not excessively hot and there's always the chance of rain.
The Melbourne race is usually one of the most spectacular of the year and normally a two-stopper, both because of the track characteristics and the fact that the Safety Car is often called on, which always keeps the strategy experts on their toes in Albert Park.
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal: After a busy start to the season with back-to-back races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, we've now made the longest trip of the year to Australia. The Albert Park track is a favourite with the drivers and one where Ferrari has always enjoyed a lot of support. We expect to be front runners on this track which could produce a similar pecking order to the one seen in Jeddah. We intend adopting an aggressive approach with the aim of putting pressure on the team that's won the first two races.
Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix
GP contested: 37
Debut: 1985 (S. Johansson 5th; M. Alboreto ret.)
Wins: 10 (27,03%)
Pole positions: 7 (18,92%)
Fastest laps: 10 (27,03%)
Podiums: 26 (23,42%)
Three questions to Enrico Cardile, Technical Director Chassis
After the first two races what has been the most pleasing aspect of the SF-24's baseline performance?
With two podium finishes, we can be pleased with the SF-24's progression curve when compared to last year's car. From the pre-season test and the first two races, we have seen positive signs compared to the development path outlined for last year. Of course, we want to do better than two third places. Red Bull are still quicker than us and although we have outperformed the other top teams, it's still not good enough and there's a lot of work to do!
Analysis and development is always ongoing in Formula 1. Have you already pinpointed areas where there is still room for development?
Performance at the first events showed good correlation with the simulation tools, which is definitely positive. Let's say there were no surprises. The limitations we saw in the factory were confirmed on track. As of today, we have a pretty clear picture of where the car's weak points are, starting with tyre management and balance. Formula 1 is all about continuous improvement and planning. The first events have confirmed the direction to take in terms of development as well as the priorities we had set ourselves. So the focus in the factory is to quickly find performance in the wind tunnel and to work hard to bring updates to the track as soon as possible, while in the meantime making the most of the package we have.
Is the pecking order after the first two races what you expected? And how do you see it changing during the season?
Before the first free practice session of the season, it's always hard to have a realistic idea of the hierarchy in the pack, because each team is only aware of its own work. However, we are just at the start of a very long season and it will be vital to improve the car at a good pace. Last year we saw how the hierarchy can change so that a team can either go up or down. We started out as the fourth best team and ended up fighting for second place in the championship. So, over the next few months, our only goal is to make up ground on the current leaders.
Australian Grand Prix Facts & Figures
0. The number of Australian drivers who have raced in Formula 1 with Scuderia Ferrari, although two citizens of the biggest country in Oceania, Tim Schenken and Paul Hawkins have raced for the Maranello marque in Endurance racing. Schenken enjoyed a very successful 1972 season, winning the Buenos Aires 1000 Km and the Nurburgring 1000 Km, teamed with Ronnie Peterson in a 312 P. Hawkins finished sixth in the 1967 Brands Hatch 1000 Km, sharing a 330 P4 with Englishman Jonathan Williams.
7. The size in hectares of Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market. It's well worth a visit as it is the biggest covered market in the southern hemisphere. According to the Victorian Heritage Register, it is the only surviving 19th century market in the city's business district. The other two, the Eastern and Western Markets, shut in the 1960s.
18. The time on a 24 hour clock that pubs and bars in the State of Victoria had to shut, up until 1996. This gave rise to what was known as the "six o'clock swill" as those who had finished work at 5pm rushed to get those last rounds of beer in before closing time. Until recently, most restaurants closed much earlier than in Europe.
1,700. The number of tram stops around the city of Melbourne. The network boasts 24 routes and is the largest operational urban tram network in the world, as well as being one of the busiest with over 500 trams running on 250 kilometres (160 miles) of double track. Trams are the second most popular form of public transport in Melbourne after the subway.
16,153. The kilometres separating Melbourne from Maranello making it quite clearly the longest trip of the year for the Scuderia.