Albert Park Circuit for dummies
The Australian Grand Prix is currently held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. The race has been a fixture on the F1 calendar since 1996, and it is one of the most popular events on the Australian sporting calendar. The current lap record for the Albert Park Circuit is held by Charles Leclerc, who in 2022 set a time of 1.20.260. This was set on the newer faster layout introduced in 2022. The original track layouts fastest lap was a 1:24.125 completed by Micheal Schumacher during the 2004 race. Here are five interesting facts about the Melbourne Australian Grand Prix:
The Australian Grand Prix'‘s previous host from 1985 to 1995 was the much better Adelaide Street Circuit. The Melbourne race made its debut in 1996 and has been pretty boring every year since (except for the 2 COVID years when it was cancelled).
The construction of the Albert Park Circuit for the Australian Grand Prix involves around 5,000 tons of steel and concrete barriers, which are put together in just over 10 weeks. This incredible feat of engineering is done by a team of over 400 workers, who work around the clock to create the circuit.
In addition to hosting the Australian Grand Prix, the Albert Park Circuit is also used for other motorsports events throughout the year. The circuit is home to the Melbourne Formula One Festival, which showcases historic Formula One cars and other classic racing vehicles.
Indigenous Australians first inhabited the area that is now Albert Park around 40,000 years ago. The area was a series of swamps and lagoons. The main park after which the suburb was named was declared a public park and named in 1864 to honour Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert.
Fun fact: In 2002, Ralf Schumacher deliberately crashed into the back of Rubens Barrichello at the first corner of the race. He did this purely to help take out enough other drivers so that the rookie Australian driver Mark Webber in the struggling Minardi team could finish 5th in Webbers first ever F1 race.
In conclusion, the Melbourne Australian Grand Prix is an important race on the F1 calendar and has a rich history dating back to 1996. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing the cancellation of the race for two years, the Melbourne Australian Grand Prix remains a beloved event for F1 fans in Australia and around the world.