The new version of Albert Park is unanimous in the paddock

The last time that F1 drove on Albert Park, Valtteri Bottas was leading the world championship for the first time in his career, the circuit had not had a makeover for a long time and Kevin Magnussen made herself beautiful in a Haas which seemed to his advantage. We also learned a few days earlier, with amazement, of the sad disappearance of Charlie Whiting, the emblematic F1 racing director for almost twenty years. But that was in 2019. In 2022, a lot of things have changed – even if K-Mag could still come out on top this weekend – the cards have been seriously reshuffled and the Melbourne route has apparently it changed drastically. Four DRS zones and seven modified turns, fresh tarmac and above all a lot of unknowns for the drivers. If optimism seems to be in order within the paddock, Sunday's race will obviously be the real revealer of all these changes.

A faster track for more overtaking?

The new Albert Park layout, and its famous four DRS zones.

This is obviously the main objective of these modifications. For several years, Albert Park has been the subject of much discussion and the shift, no pun intended, was finally made in 2019, as explained by the venue of the event Daniel Ricciardo :

“In 2019 a few of us (the drivers) were involved in discussions about how we could make Albert Park a little more Sunday friendly, including widening some of the corners. It was always a fun track, from a drivers' point of view, but it wasn't a track that allowed for a lot of overtaking. I tried to really encourage these modifications, while keeping the character of the original circuit. »

During these three long years of waiting, seven corners were widened, to reach speeds never equaled on Albert Park, curves 9 and 10 were simply removed, and four DRS zones are now established in Australia - compared to three previously. One last change which is open to debate, obviously. Even within the paddock.

READ ALSO: In Melbourne, a new duel between Verstappen and Leclerc looms

“On Sunday it was always a little more difficult to overtake and I can understand why they wanted to have four DRS zones to improve the race, confided Max Verstappen at a press conference this Thursday. If you still can't overtake, I don't think that on this circuit, with an additional DRS zone, you will be able to do it, but probably because of the long straight it will help a little more in the rapid chicane. »

In this little game, the detection zones will therefore be very important. What reminds us of the tactical battle between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen just two weeks ago, in Jeddah.

The counters are almost reset to zero

If four drivers have never driven on the Albert Park track before – Nicholas latifi, Mick Schumacher, Yuki tsunoda et Guanyu-Zhou, the significant modifications that the circuit has undergone could reset the counters to zero. Especially behind the wheel of these brand new machines. We knew it was highly appreciated by drivers in the past, it still remains to be demonstrated in the race.

“It’s always something very exciting for a driver, especially turns 6/7 which are going to be very fast, turns 9 and 10 will come at an extremely high speed, detailed Pierre Gasly, yet not varnished since his debut in Melbourne – a retirement and only 11th place. I think driving is going to be pure pleasure. As for the race, we still have to see how it goes on Sunday. But yeah, especially with these new cars, the first two races were a lot of fun from a driver point of view, so I hope that will be the case again this weekend. »

An opinion shared by Carlos Sainz, whose Ferrari will certainly be at the forefront this weekend after these first and second places in free practice 1 and 2.

“The track is very different, they have resurfaced already. This is something that will obviously affect all the braking points. Before, they were very bumpy. There are two or three corners that are definitely a lot faster. […] Obviously, it is supposed to improve racing and overtaking […] with its four DRS straights. It's hard to say but it seems that for the race we are in the right direction. »

If most drivers start with a bit more experience than some, all means are good to discover this almost new track. Right Yuki? “It’s going to be the first time for me, but I’m really excited to start on this new track. I just tested it on the Formula 1 game. So yes, I'm looking forward to it. » Happiness, as they say.

Just Yuki making us all feel old 😅

And, sharing his thoughts on visiting Australia! 😁#AusGP #F1 @ yukitsunoda07 pic.twitter.com/RTiVLMEV9g

- Formula 1 (@ F1) April 8, 2022

After two free practice sessions this Friday, the duel between Ferrari and Red Bull seems to be writing a new chapter. All the drivers were able to understand the particularities of this new track, without any seriously making mistakes, before the real meeting of the weekend, Saturday, at 7 a.m. French time, for the qualifying session. It could be confusing.