The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix organisers have confirmed plans for the fourth DRS zone at the Albert Park circuit to be reinstated for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. Changes were made to the Albert Park race track ahead of this year’s event, with the goal of leading to more entertaining action.
As a result, the turn 9/10 chicane was removed and a new sweeping section was created around the back of Albert Park lake, that also led to the idea of adding a fourth DRS zone. The plan was trialled on Friday in the free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, but it was eventually scrapped after the the Drivers’ meeting on Friday evening because of safety concerns.
Ahead of next season’s event, there is a strong intention to have it reinstated, as confirmed by Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive Andrew Westacott:
“With the circuit modifications at Albert Park, there were meant to be four DRS zones,” he said – “There was meant to be a DRS zone around Lakeside, the fourth one that Fernando Alonso made some safety comments to the FIA Race Director [about]. We’re optimistic, highly optimistic, that we will get that fourth DRS zone back for 2023, which is a wonderful addition to the competitiveness of the racing, and the overtaking in the racing.” – the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) continued.
With the introduction of the rules and regulations for the 2022 Formula 1 season, one of the biggest issues was the porpoising phenomena, as some cars, such as Mercedes, were affected more than others.
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The extra DRS zone in Melbourne around Lakeside Drive was on a gentle left-hand curve, with a concrete barrier just on the drivers’ right. It’s also been suggested Fernando Alonso’s opinion was to do with the relative strengths of the Alpine, which enjoyed good top-end speed – an advantage limited in a DRS zone.
Rule changes for the next F1 campaign have been confirmed with the goal of reducing the porpoising issues, as the edge of the floor is set to rise, just like the throat of the diffuser. As a result, the airflow under the car will be prevented from stalling, making porpoising less of a problem in 2023.
In addition to this, teams now better understand the ground effect concept and Andrew Westacott’s confidence, therefore, seems well-placed. Albert Park circuit Organisers are happy for the recent surge in Formula One interest, which has led to a record four-day crowd of 419,000.
That has carried over into the 2023 Australian Grand Prix with four-day and race-day tickets completely selling in just a few minutes after they were made available.
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