Drivers ponder Albert Park changes

Due to the continued fallout from George Russell’s crash at the Australian Grand Prix, drivers now believe the fast turn 6 and its barriers need to be “reviewed”.

When the Albert Park street circuit was revised in 2022, turn 6 was widened and as a result became much, much faster.

In 2019 cars were only travelling at 155km/h in fourth gear as they negotiated a much tighter right hander.

But since 2022 the speeds are now much higher around 250km/h and sixth gear whilst the gravel run off area has hardly changed with the concrete barrier coming closer to the track as it flows to the following left hander.

In the last two years alone, Alex Albon has suffered two heavy impacts where his Williams has bounced back towards the track, with the 2024 version destroying his chassis.

On raceday Russell had a similar impact, with his Mercedes rebounding back into the racing line and even hanging partially in the air as cars went past.

Sainz has seen enough and believes the corner “needs to be reviewed” having raised concerns over these incidents.

“I think that corner needs to be reviewed, which is already something I said in the last driver’s briefing,” the 2024 Australian Grand Prix winner said.

“It’s not the first time that after a collision, the car comes back into the track and it’s a corner that we’re doing 250 kph and it’s blind. 

“I just don’t like the last few incidents that we’ve seen in this corner, also in other categories.It just doesn’t give me a very good feeling. 

“It’s a great corner, don’t get me wrong, I love driving it in a qualifying lap. 

Alex Albon after crashing at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix which brought out a red flag. Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images

“But when it comes to racing, there’s been just too many examples of a car coming back onto a track and being very narrow there. 

“I just think it’s a corner that needs to be a bit reviewed.”

Albon, who has crashed there two years in a row highlighted the exit kerb, run off and barrier positions.

“The exit kerb and the way that it’s angled to the wall, it tends to force drivers back onto the racing line. That’s one thing,” he said.

“Obviously maybe it’s down to the park or whatever. It wasn’t changed and there’s also the kerb. 

“There’s kind of a double-stepped kerb on the exit, and especially as we have these low cars now, everything we touch, we can use the first bit of kerb, but if you go too far across and you hit the second kind of ramp section, it forces the car into the air, so there’s two things that could be done better.”

Russell stated his love for the corner itself, but not the position of the wall.

“The corner’s amazing, probably one of the best corners on that circuit, so I wouldn’t want to see that corner change,” the Brit said.

“But it is true, if you hit that wall, you just bounce back into the track. 

“It’s not just that corner. I think all circuits that have the barriers in certain positions, if it’s going to propel you back onto the circuit, that’s obviously not good and we don’t want to have big runoffs. We don’t want to have tarmac runoffs. 

“Its just the position of that wall, even if it’s, you know, closer to the track, but in line with the circuit, at least you wouldn’t bounce off into the racing line.”

George Russell flying his Mercedes out of the turn 6 section. Image: Peter Norton EPIC Sports Photography

As Russell sat stranded hanging in his Mercedes in the middle of the high-speed exit of turn 6, he was pleading for a red flag over the radio.

With only a Safety Car being called, Russell wonders if a more immediate measure could be employed to neutralise the field.

“It was an incredibly uncomfortable position to be in, you know, on a blind bend, 250 kilometres an hour, right on the racing line with the car half upside down, waiting for disaster to happen,” Russell recalled. 

“Fortunately I had a 10-second gap behind me and I think it was 10 or 12 seconds before the Safety Car came out. 

“But in the space of 10 seconds, you could have five, six, seven cars if that was on lap one of the race and probably been hit numerous times, even with the yellow flag. 

“I mean, we’ve seen close incidents before where a car comes back, Carlos in 2022 in Japan. 

“I think we need to find a way that if a car is in a danger zone, automated, VSC straight away, within half a second or so because those seconds count and lives are at risk. 

“We’ve seen it at Spa numerous times in the past, cars, aquaplaning. 

“I think it’s time with the technology that we have to make steps in this area.”

Main image by Mark Horsburgh

2024 Japanese Grand Prix

Friday, April 5

Practice 1: 13.30-14.30

Practice 2: 17.00-18.00

Saturday, April 6

Practice 3: 13.30-14.30

Qualifying: 17.00-18.00

Sunday, April 7

Grand Prix: 15.00

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