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The 75th FIA
Formula 1 World Championship is about to get underway in Australia, in
Melbourne’s Albert Park to be precise, home to a semi-permanent street
circuit. The race in the capital of the State of Victoria marks the start of
a long 24 race season, this record number having been reached for the first
time last year and between now and the weekend of 5 to 7 December, Formula 1
will visit five continents.
The compounds
Having
“softened up” its compound choices last year, Pirelli has confirmed the same
three compounds for the opening round of 2025, with the trio of C3 as Hard,
C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. However, compared to a year ago, the tyres
themselves have evolved in terms of the characteristics of both construction
and compound. The former has been slightly modified to handle the increased
aerodynamic loads likely to be generated by the final version of the current
generation of cars. As for the latter, the C3, the most versatile in terms
of balance and degradation, is substantially the same as the version used
for the previous two seasons, while the C4 has been modified to reduce the
possibility of graining on the tread surface, as well as minimising
degradation, something that has also been applied to the C5 in order to
expand its use as a suitable race tyre. A fortnight ago, in the Bahrain
pre-season test, the C3 did the most work, completing over two thirds of the
total mileage.
Teams and drivers therefore have plenty of data
relating to this tyre, which is quite similar to last year’s, although they
will have to take into account that the Sakhir track surface has very
different characteristics to the one they will encounter in Albert Park,
which explains why in Australia the C3 is the Hard, while when the
championship gets to Bahrain, it will be the Soft.
In 2024
Last year, the most popular strategy was a two-stop, with the Hard doing
most of the work, completing 80% of all the laps, with an average stint
length of 22 laps. Only three drivers opted to start on the Soft, with a
longest stint of seven laps, while two drivers lined up on Hard tyres,
making the Medium compound the most popular tyre on the grid, with 15
starters.
Graining made its unwelcome presence felt over the weekend,
although it never really compromised tyre performance. Albert Park could be
the first real test to see if the changes made, especially to the C4 and C5,
will produce the expected results.
The Albert Park track
The track surface has not changed since it was renewed in 2022 and is not
too harsh on tyres. The only modification to the track layout, which
features some sections made up of roads usually open to normal traffic,
comes at turns 6 and 7 where the barriers and kerbs have been modified, as a
precautionary measure to avoid a repetition of some past accidents in this
section. 5.278 kilometres long, the circuit combines fast straights with low
to medium speed technical corners and some heavy braking points.
Summer is sliding into autumn at this time of year in Australia and the
weather can be very changeable, with big swings in temperature from one day
to the next and rain has been known to put in an appearance. That could lead
to the new Full Wet making its debut: modifications include a new tread
design to reduce movement of the blocks which can lead to overheating, while
the compound used is closer to that found in the Intermediate, which could
give it a wider operating window in crossover conditions.
There is
always plenty of track action here, starting on the Thursday. Apart from
Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3, there are rounds of the Porsche Carrera
Cup and the Australian Supercars series, so that over the four days, plenty
of rubber is put down, which leads to a significant change in grip levels.
Keyword: GRAINING
Graining is a term used in motor
racing to describe a phenomenon that occurs on the surface of the tyres.
When the surface of the tyre is subjected to stresses that reach a level
where the compound starts to break up, microcracks form which lead to a
surface irregularity on the tread, with peaks and troughs that vary in depth
depending on the severity of the phenomenon.
This graining then leads
to a reduction in grip from the compound and has a significant effect on the
car's performance when it is in mid-corner or under braking or acceleration.
Graining occurs most commonly when track temperatures are low or when the
tyres are not in the right operating window to provide grip. The circuit
layout can also play its part, as can driving style and the way the car is
set up. Managing graining is a vital part of strategy as it leads to tyre
degradation and wear, and therefore affects the car's overall performance
during a race.
Statistics Corner
This weekend
sees the 39th edition of the Australian Grand Prix: the first 11, from 1985
to 1995, all took place in Adelaide, after which from 1996 onwards, it has
always been held in Albert Park with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when
the race was not held because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adelaide was
traditionally the final race of the year, while Melbourne has always staged
the race early in the season, mostly as the season-opener, which is once
again the case this year.
Michael Schumacher tops the list of
all-time winners here on four, followed by Jenson Button and Sebastian
Vettel, equal on three. A further 20 drivers have won in Australia, making
it one of the races with the highest number of different winners. However,
only 15 have ever started from pole, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way on
eight, followed by Ayrton Senna on six.
McLaren and Ferrari are the
most successful teams, with 11 wins apiece. The Scuderia has won twice in
the past three years, in 2022 with Charles Leclerc and last year with Carlos
Sainz, while the reigning world champions have not tasted victory in
Melbourne since Button won for them in 2012. By finishing first and second
in 2024, Ferrari is now the team with the most podium finishes (28)
overtaking McLaren (27). |
