The final third of the season gets underway with the traditional opening round of the Formula 1 season, Melbourne, Australia. Located in Albert Park, the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street circuit that has hosted motor races as far back as the early 1950’s. Formula 1 began racing there in 1996. This will be the first time the SBMRL races here.
Melbourne
The confines of the city and the contour of the lake contribute to the cramped feeling of the track, but skilled drivers will be able to open it up in the second half. The pit straight is short, there aren’t any long straights here, and leads into the Jones/Brabham corner. This shouldn’t cause much trouble, but the Whiteford corner following it will certainly keep speeds in check.
The second sector starts a series of spaced out simple corners, including a right hander around the marina and the Clark Chicane. This is were speed can be gained and the field will spread out a bit. A smooth run through here is essential to a good finish.
Sector three has the Waite and Ascari corners, more of the same from the previous sector. However, it finishes up with the long Stewart-Senna-Prost combination. This part of the track can be taken slow or slower, and carrying speed onto the pit straight for the next lap will be difficult.
Overall, Melbourne is a relatively short track that won’t see cars getting up to their top speeds often. Instead, deft handling and gear shifting will be rewarded.
Starting Grid
The top three on the grid start from the exact same slot that they started in last time out. The Stig’s dominance over the last three races leave him at the opposite end. In between, the 3-way tie for 2nd place in the standings is broken in reverse order of finish in India. That leaves the following:
- Captain Slow (SB)
- Stevie Wondertyres (SR)
- Jaap Snellrijder (RM)
- Whiplash (SR)
- Sheila Dinkum (RM)
- Bubba McQueen (FR)
- Launch Bornado (FR)
- The Stig (SB)
As always, pit selection is in order of team standings, which simply results in this:
- Force Ravenswood
- Regency Motors
- Scandinavian Blitz
- Sprite Racing
Both Launch Bornado and Sheila Dinkum come from Australia, making it the home race for both drivers.