Just a few days until the cars hit the track for the first practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2022 Formula 1 season. One of the most discussed topics is the fact that this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is set to be the first to feature four DRS zones as Formula 1 attempts to increase the potential for overtaking at an Albert Park circuit where passing has always been very difficult.
In addition to the DRS zones on the start/finish straight and the run to Turn 3, and the one on the run to what is now Turn 11 (formerly Turn 13) that was introduced in 2018 to make Albert Park the first track to have three DRS zones, the fourth zone has been added on the run to the fast Turn 9-10 left/right.
The DRS zones – with the same downforce configurations – help the less efficient car which is chasing, as long as the latter is better in cornering. So, at least theoretically, Ferrari.
Giuliano Duchessa reports for formu1a.uno the thoughts of an F1 technician: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ferrari’s performance in the corners make Red Bull use as much downforce as Ferrari”. In short, something more similar to Bahrain than to Saudi Arabia. In fact, it would make sense: the DRS zones are all four in the first stretch and, only partially, in full straight.
What is certain is that it will be a rather different venue for the teams. One other key factor is the lack of data from the last two seasons and the still plenty unknowns of the new generation of cars. For this reason, the technician expects “even more comparative work by the teams than what was seen in Jeddah”, according to formu1a.uno.
As for the types of corners, even those that have remained unchanged are new to these cars because they still have to rebuild important references. Some corners don’t seem ideal for the RB18, as were the medium speed ones in Bahrain. The fast section, the one opposite the finish line, is certainly more suitable for the qualifying potential of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who will be able to setup their RB18 in a more optimized way when the weight drops given the low fuel runs. Some help could be given by the very soft C5, also to Red Bull but above all for Haas, Alpine and Mclaren who will be able to make up for any lack of downforce in the slow corners.
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The F1-75 seems to be the most balanced car, the one that appears able to quickly adapt to all conditions. “Ferrari has the most complete car. It is quick right away once it hits the track, in all conditions, with all types of tires and in all temperatures” – analyzed 78-year-old Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko. In Australia, the Maranello technicians will have to take the evolution of grip more into account, something they worked on last week to better understand some choices that could also have been made in Saudi Arabia. Something that in Jeddah led to the hypothesis of a degradation higher than the actual one which was seen later in the race, with the more downforce setup of the RB18 compared which was not affected in such a significant way as anticipated by Ferrari.
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