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Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 21, 2021 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the Grand Prix REUTERS/Mike Blake
Reuters
Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 21, 2021 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the Grand Prix REUTERS/Mike Blake
The Australian Grand Prix is back on the racing calendar after a two-year absence amid the pandemic. And, quite interestingly, Albert Park, like a few other circuits, managed to utilize this window of opportunity to enhance their circuit layout in a bid to ramp up wheel-to-wheel racing.
Hence, the Melbourne street circuit is unlikely to deliver another straightforward race, with more thrills and spills anticipated this time around. And homeboy Daniel Ricciardo couldn’t hide his excitement either. The McLaren driver was on cloud nine as he expressed a high level of optimism for the upcoming Australian GP.
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What did Daniel Ricciardo say?
As reported by Motorsport, Ricciardo opened up that the latest changes to Albert Park could lead to a more exhilarating race on Sunday this year.
“I think with the new design in Albert Park, he’s really focused on improving the show on Sunday, which will provide more opportunity for the transition,” he said.
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Formula One F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 9, 2021 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in action during practice REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Along with the changes to Albert Park’s track layout, F1 is also looking forward to experiencing the effect of recent regulation changes on the new-age cars. Hence, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix could well be capable of delivering the most exciting race of the season.
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Ricciardo reveals how Australian GP will be better this year
Although he admitted that Albert Park is not an easy track to overtake on, Ricciardo felt the latest changes could nullify the drawbacks.
“Every street track is difficult in itself because these are not tracks made specifically for you. There is not the smoothest asphalt, there are some challenges like bumps and oil stains,” he said.
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Formula One F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 12, 2021 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo celebrates after winning the race Pool via REUTERS/Lars Baron
“Albert Park has always been a difficult track to overtake because it was very narrow and very fast. In Formula 1, in general, the faster we go, the harder it is to follow the other cars in the cornering combinations. Widing the apex of some corners will help with some key transitions or choosing a different line to get rid of the stale air.”
Overall, Baku has so far remained the only street circuit to offer abundant overtaking opportunities. So, with the latest changes to Albert Park, can the Australian GP too, turn into an overtaking haven for drivers?
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