[Race] 2014 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix

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Race Preview
2014 F1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
14-16 MARCH 2014

The 2014 season kicks off this weekend, with Melbourne Australia hosting round one of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The street track around the Albert Park lake provides a stern challenge for drivers and cars alike. As is common with temporary circuits, the lack of grip leads to high track evolution as the track ‘rubbers-in’ over the race weekend, making set-up an ever moving target. The track also has various bumps and undulations that have been known to catch drivers out, particularly coming into the braking zones, with gravel traps and unyielding walls waiting for the unwary or the unlucky.

This years Australian Grand Prix has another factor to consider. All eyes will be focused on the performance of F1’s new V6 turbocharged power units. Winter testing proved the 2014 cars had all the performance of their predecessors, but with the hybrid technology still in its infancy, glitches abounded during the three scheduled pre season tests. While some teams were able to complete race simulations towards the end of their testing schedule, a few teams, including the reigning World Champions Red Bull Racing, did not. Reliability of the new power units proved to be an issue to many of the teams. For this reason, many are expecting a race of high attrition in Melbourne.

Additionally, all teams are still on a steep learning curve with their new equipment. The new cars will complete the race distance with two-thirds of fuel on board compared to the 2013 cars – but maximising the potential of that load entails a new paradigm in race craft and is very much a work in progress.

Teams have acknowledged this first grand prix of the season will be a voyage into the unknown, with many of them discovering for the first time the capabilities of their race-specification cars during the three free practice sessions. It promises to be a surprising and exhilarating weekend.





ALBERT PARK CIRCUIT

Length of lap:
5.303km
Lap record
1:25.125 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004)
Start line/finish line offset
0.000km
Total number of race laps
58
Total race distance
307.574km
Pitlane speed limits
60km/h in practice;
100km/h in qualifying and race

CIRCUIT NOTES

► The kerb on the exit of Turn 12 has been levelled and renewed (with the same design of kerb).

DRS ZONES

► DRS sectors will be the same as those used in 2013. Activation One is 762m before Turn One, Activation Two is 510m before Turn Three. They share a single detection point, located 13m before Turn 14.


Australian GP Fast Facts

► Albert Park first hosted an F1 World Championship Grand Prix in 1996. It twice held the (Formula Libre) Australian Grand Prix in the 1950s – the 1956 edition being won by Stirling Moss driving a Maserati 250F.

► Of the 18 F1 races held at Albert Park, 11 have been won from the front row. David Coulthard’s victory from 11th in 2003 is the win from furthest back, next is Kimi Räikkönen’s victory last year from seventh on the grid.

► Three drivers make their Formula One debut this weekend. Toro Rosso have Daniil Kvyat (19) driving the STR9. The Russian won the GP3 title in 2013 and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps in 2012. Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson (23) will drive for Caterham. Ericsson is a former champion of Formula BMW UK and Japanese Formula 3. At McLaren Danish driver Kevin Magnussen (21) takes part in his first grand prix. Magnussen is the 2013 World Series by Renault Formula Renault 3.5 Champion and a former champion of Formula Ford Denmark.

► Returning to Formula One after a season’s absence is Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi. Now with Caterham, the former Toyota and Sauber man has 60 grand prix starts to his name. He has 28 top 10 finishes with a best result of third, appearing on the podium at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

► 2014 sees many new regulations. In a change to the rules governing tyres, drivers who appear in Q3 will start the race using the tyres with which they set their fastest lap in Q2 – this new rule has been approved by the F1 Commission with a view to ensuring drivers participate in the pole position shoot-out.

► Concerning the race, the essential new sporting regulation introduced for 2014 is a limit on fuel consumption. Between the start of the race and the chequered flag, a maximum of fuel load of 100kg may be consumed – approximately two-thirds of the race consumption of the V8 engines retired at the end of the 2013 season. There is also a maximum fuel-flow rate of 100kg/hour.

► On the technical side, the new internal combustion component of the F1 power unit is a 1.6-litre 90° V6 unit. It is turbocharged, features direct injection and is limited to 15,000rpm.

► Power will also be provided by two energy recovery systems. ERS-K has a 120kW motor-generator unit (MGU-K), replacing the 60kW unit used previously for KERS. The unit can use 4MJ of energy per lap, up from 400kJ. This specification means 2014 energy recovery will supply twice the power of its predecessor for five times as long. It is sufficient to ensure the MGU-K will be recovering or releasing energy for the majority of every lap at most circuits.

► ERS-K will only be allowed to recover 2MJ per lap. Additional energy will be recovered by a second system, ERS-H, that harvests energy from waste heat in the exhaust. No limit is placed on the amount of energy that can be recovered by ERS-H.