Australian Grand Prix
Formula One excitement hits a frenzy in March, as the Formula
One championship season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix. Racing
die-hards flock to Melbourne, where the end-of-summer weather is just right for
a whiz around the tracks.
Melbourne wasn't always the home of the Australian Grand Prix. Before 1996, the
race was held in Adelaide, and was usually the last round of the championship
since the grand prix officially joined the Formula One season in 1985, replacing
the Portuguese Grand Prix. When the race was moved to Albert Park in Melbourne
in 1996, the Australian Grand Prix served as the first round of competition each
year, except in 2006 as Melbourne hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the
grand prix shifted to the third round.
The race circuit at Melbourne is a 16-turn, street-based rebuilt circuit that
surrounds the man-made Albert Park Lake. Albert Park is found a few kilometers
south of the bustling center of activity in Melbourne, ideal for easy
transformation of the street into a race track. Although the circuit is only
used once a year for the Australian Grand Prix, and the odd support races,
building the circuit usually takes three months prior to the event, and
disassembling the track takes around six weeks.
The Melbourne Grand Prix circuit is also one of the more scenic circuits in the
competition calendar, thanks to Albert Park Lake. Drivers find the terrain very
smooth and easy to drive on, with the corners of the circuit positioned
uniformly enough for the racers to concentrate on increasing their competitive
speed. Unfortunately, the 5.3 kilometer track is configured around a lake,
giving it an odd shape and restricts overtaking.
Many of the most popular Formula One drivers of the last ten years have made
their debut at the Australian Grand Prix, including two-time World Champion
Fernando Alonso, Jacques Villanueve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Räikkönen, and
Australia's very own Mark Webber. Before the Australian Grand Prix officially
became a part of the Formula One championship, the record holder of most wins
was Lex Davison, matched only by Michael Schumacher, who won the Australian
championship three years straight from 2000 to 2002, lost to David Coulthard in
2003, and won it again the year after. Despite enduring four safety-cars and
countless accidents in 2006, Fernando Alonso won his first Australian grand prix
that year. The 2007 winner is Kimi Räikkönen, who holds the distinction of
keeping first place for the entire race except while he pitted, as well as
winning a pole and the fastest lap of 2007.
Coming to Melbourne to watch the Australian Grand Prix does sound like a grand adventure, with the end of the summer being less harsh
than it is in January. Ever since the race was moved to Albert Park, the
commercial value of north Melbourne has gone up considerably as well and there
are several hotels in which you can stay for the duration of the event. Even if
these hotels are closer to the F1 circuit than to the shopping center, getting
to the entertainment complex, beaches and restaurants will usually only take
five to ten minutes.
Getting around in Melbourne is quite easy, and definitely not expensive at all,
even if you rent a car to drive around. Just be sure to have lots of change in
your pocket for the toll way and metered parking. You can also get around using
a taxi, the bus or the city's tram system, which has a couple of stops quite
near Albert Park.
When buying
Australian Grand Prix tickets, choosing general admission isn't bad
at all. Albert Park is not just the lake or the roads-turned-into-racetrack,
there is also a lot of parkland, mowed down come F1 season. This nice terrain
makes the general patronage area ideal for most audiences, as they'll be able to
watch the races as they would a picnic. Of course, this is fine if you are a
tourist, but not quite when an avid race watcher – the flat parkland will
inevitably make you wish for higher ground. In this case, getting a seat from
any of the grandstands is best.
|
