Major twist in Daniel Ricciardo's first-lap mishap at Australian GP
Daniel Ricciardo’s first-lap crash at the Australian Grand Prix has sparked renewed criticism about the Albert Park circuit.
And it could lead to a revamp or complete abandonment of the famous Melbourne street circuit.
A leading F1 journalist says there’s “pressure” on organisers after the 2019 Australian GP exposed more problems with the track.
Joe Saward, an F1 reporter of over 30 years, says Albert Park provides “zero overtaking” opportunities and reckons there are too many corners.
“Australia wants to be the first race, but it has zero overtaking,” Saward told the Missed Apex podcast.
“It’s not as bad as Monaco, but it’s not far short of that.
“There’s pressure on for them to do something about it, and they can do something about it, it’s just going to cost money.
“Basically turn three would become turn one, and you’d arrive with cars at screaming amounts of speed, braking heavily for turn three.
“You could then have a straight long enough to make a difference, which is what they haven’t got at the moment.
“The straights are too short. They need an overtaking space, I think that’s one good way of doing it.”
Problems with the track were again highlighted when Ricciardo drove onto the grass moments after the race started, only to have his front wing ripped off by a poorly-placed drain.
‘It’s not a good racetrack’
In 2018, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said changes “should be looked at”, while Lewis Hamilton said organisers “definitely could make adjustments.”
Saward reckons Albert Park isn’t living up to the hype that should surround the first race of every season.
“It’s not a good racetrack, it’s a good track to drive, but it’s not a good racetrack,” he said.
“The fact is Formula One is a show, it’s a sport, it’s a competition, and you want to have a real competition, not just people sitting behind one another going ‘why can’t I overtake?’
“The first and last race have a long shadow, so I think we need to have first and last races that are really exceptional from a racing point of view, and Australia isn’t.
“As much as I like Australia, I don’t think the racing is right.”