Excitement Builds for the 2016 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne
Who can stop Lewis Hamilton from securing his third consecutive world championship, and his fourth overall? The first hints will emerge at the opening race of the 2016 Formula One season in Melbourne on Sunday, March 20. As usual, the Australian Grand Prix will unfold at the Albert Park circuit, known for its bumpy hard braking zones and rapid transitions from fast straights to slow corners. Expect significant tyre wear. Make sure to catch the start—it’s typically filled with excitement and potential accidents as drivers fight for position in the tight corners, especially at turn three. The safety car is often a familiar sight here.
This year, there are new rules about tyre choices. Instead of the usual two compounds, there will be three, allowing teams more strategic flexibility. Pirelli will provide super-soft, soft, and medium compound tyres. Last year, only the soft and medium were used in Australia. Teams must declare their tyre choices beforehand. For instance, Mercedes has selected one set of mediums, six of soft, and six super-softs for Lewis Hamilton. For Nico Rosberg, they’ve chosen two sets of mediums, five of soft, and six super-softs. Most teams have opted for seven sets of super-softs. Additionally, there’s an extra ultra-soft compound that will debut later in the season.
Lewis Hamilton won the Australian Grand Prix last year and also in 2008. Nico Rosberg won it the year before, while Jenson Button has three wins in the last seven years. Kimi Räikkönen has also won twice here, with past winners including Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
Pre-season Testing Insights
Judging by pre-season testing, Mercedes is likely to face a strong challenge from Ferrari, which topped the charts on the final test day. However, Mercedes’ unusual tyre choices during testing might be masking their true pace. It looks like a tighter competition between these top teams.
Red Bull, Force India, and Williams have all shown improvement over last year, but not enough to seriously threaten the top contenders. Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, appears very confident. Renault (formerly Lotus) encountered technical issues in their comeback as a works team, leaving us with little insight into their performance. McLaren, struggling with a new Honda engine, showed some progress in pre-season but probably won’t be regular podium finishers. Sauber’s performance seems stagnant, while Manor appeared faster when not hindered by technical problems. As for the new team Haas, it’s still uncertain as they struggled with car issues.
Who’s Who for 2016
Most teams return with the same driver line-up as last season. This means we’ll see Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen for Ferrari, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas for Williams, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat for Red Bull, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg for Force India, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz for Toro Rosso, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr for Sauber, and Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for McLaren.
New team Haas will feature Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez. Grosjean previously raced for Lotus, while Gutierrez returns to F1 after a two-year break.
Manor introduces two rookies: German Pascal Wehrlein and Indonesian Rio Haryanto. Wehrlein made headlines in 2014 as the youngest winner of Germany’s DTM touring car championship and has served as a Mercedes reserve. Haryanto is Indonesia’s first F1 driver, stepping up from GP2 and GP3 and having done some testing with Manor in the past.
Renault’s line-up includes former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen, a last-minute replacement for the expected Pastor Maldonado.
