Ferrari Head of Vehicle Concept explains Albert Park track from an aero point of view. David Sanchez previews the next race.

Ferrari Head of Vehicle Concept, David Sanchez, previews the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the Australian Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at the Albert Park circuit:

What is the Albert Park track like from an aero point of view? How will the changes to the track affect the preparation for qualifying and race?
“The Albert Park track is fairly close to what we call an average downforce track in terms of aero efficiency. It has a blend of low and high-speed corners with some relatively long straights. It is also a track where having good traction is critical. Compared to the old layout the new one will be significantly faster by a few seconds per lap. Most of the corners have been reworked, making them more open, which should allow the cars to carry more apex speed than they used to. T1-2, 6-7 and 11-12 are relatively high speed corners and it will be very interesting to see how these new generation cars perform in these sections. Here too, we’re expecting tyre management to be a key topic for the race. Lastly, the old track used to be very bumpy and so it will be important to see in free practice where we are with the phenomenon, seen with these new 2022 cars, of porpoising, to see if the cars are bouncing up and down along the high speed straights.”

How useful is the data from the last time we raced there (2019) in preparing for this race given that the new cars are very different?
“Although the layout is faster the underlying nature of the track remains the same. It is still a track which rewards good aero efficiency and traction. This allows us to look back into the data from the last few times we raced there with a critical eye to ensure we consider all the key elements as we tackle free practice. We also spent a large amount of time running the new car in the simulator, so when it hits the ground in FP1 in Albert Park the car should hopefully feel pretty good from the drivers’ perspective.”

What impressed you the most about our start to the season?
“Right from winter testing it was reassuring to see that our time on track was pretty much trouble-free. Although visually simpler, these new cars happen to be extremely complex and are posing significant challenges. It seems we managed to anticipate many of them with relative success and the team reacted very swiftly to manage unexpected ones such as porpoising. The other impressive aspect is how both ourselves and our main competitor are closely matched on track, having developed brand new cars from scratch.”