ALBERT PARK TRACK UPGRADES UNVEILED

Track resurfacing work at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit is just about complete and some big Australian Formula 1 names have had their say on the new-look precinct.

The project involved milling and resurfacing 70,000 square metres of circuit using more than 13,000 tonnes of asphalt, something that had not been done since the track was constructed in 1995.

Further, the circuit has undergone a significant redesign with seven corners modified to increase the pace of the track, quickening it by a claimed 5s per lap.

After taking his first look at the completed resurfacing, Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott was thrilled with the outcome.

“I have been happy with the progress, it’s been a project that’s gone for four or five years,” Westacott explained to AUTO ACTION.

“There’s been technical challenges along the way that we’ve worked on.

“There’s a lot of technology and a lot of wonderful, hard work that has been done by Victorians to put this down, it’s a tribute to the technical capabilities here.

“The new spec cars will have closer racing, you can actually tail the car in front and expect to be able to overtake and be in a competitive position.

“Making sure that the racing is going to be as exciting as possible is a reason why Formula 1 has changed the cars for this season. There’s a reason why we resurfaced the track for the first time in 25 years.”

Speaking on the specific changes made to the layout of Albert Park, Westacott flagged turns 6 and 11 as locations to watch for improved racing this year.

“We expect the widening of turns to enhance the racing, particularly the increasing speed at Turn 6 where they’re going to go from about 90 km/h to 150 km/h, which sets up speeds in excess of 330 km/h an hour around Lakeside,” Westacott said.

“The main location is Turn 11 at the south end of the lake, Ross Gregory drive, we expect that to be a major overtaking opportunity.”

Appearing at the circuit to collect his second Sir Jack Brabham award, Formula 2 champion and Alpine Formula 1 reserve driver Oscar Piastri also praised the changes.

“It looks good,” Piastri told AA.

“It’s been quite a difficult track for overtaking in the past, but I think the new changes mostly make it better.

“It’s going to be an exciting spectacle and hopefully the widening of some of these corners will improve it.”

Australia’s Formula 1 star of yesteryear Mark Webber started in 12 Australian grands prix over his career and believed the surface was in better shape than ever.

“I think the surface is very good, you can’t have the same surface for long periods of time,” Webber said outside pitlane.

“I just cannot reiterate how hard the Australian Grand Prix Corporation worked under pretty tricky circumstances to say the least, so I’m very, very proud of them.

“Let’s see how it races, of course it’s faster.

“That’s going to be brilliant for the fans to see the cars at those sorts of speeds, particularly in qualifying.

“Racing wise, you’re a brave man to say if it’s better or worse, but you’ve got to have the bravery to go out there and make some design changes.”

To celebrate the upcoming completion of the Albert Park circuit modifications the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix YouTube channel is set to release a series featuring never-before-seen footage of the circuit and interviews with F1 heavyweights such as Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo.

The series will premiere on January 24 and each episode of the four-part production will be released weekly.

The 2022 Australian Grand Prix will take place from April 8-10 in Melbourne.

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