The Australian Grand Prix has been the season-opening race since 1996 when it also moved venue from the streets of Adelaide to Albert Park, Melbourne. The Albert Park circuit is a road circuit, being made up of a mixture of public roads and purpose-build stretches of race track enclosing a large lake. It provides for excellent racing, having a two corner complexes separated by two long fast straight sections. The main overtaking spots are at the end of the start/finish straight into turn one, the approach to turn 9 (Clark) and the approach to turn 11. The circuit has hosted some excellent races, most notably in 1996 and 2002. In ̢̮??96 Martin Brundle totalled his Jordan on the first lap and Damon Hill and Jaques Villeneuve scrapped it out for the entire race. In ̢̮??02 Ralf Schumacher missed his braking point on the first lap and took out seven other cars in the mayhem he caused. The finish saw Minardi score two points when Mark Webber finishing second, on home territory, in his first race. A lap of the Sepang circuit, described by Alexander Wurz, runs as follows: Crossing the start-finish line at the 3.295 mile Albert Park circuit, you accelerate to 190mph in seventh gear, before braking hard for the right-left weave of turns one and two. This sees you pull 3.5G as your speed drops to 87mph in second gear. You apply the throttle on the exit for the Aughtie Drive straight, reaching some 185mph in sixth gear on the approach to the tight right of turn three, which is taken at 50mph in second gear. This is immediately followed by turn four, a sharp left hander which flicks you onto the short Whitford straight. A burst on the throttle takes you to 150mph in fifth gear along the straight before dabbing the brakes for the sweeping right hander of turn five, which is taken at 142mph in fourth gear, and in qualifying nearly flat. It is crucial that you maintain your speed through these corners to ensure you have a good exit as you power down towards turn six, reaching 177mph in fifth, before braking for the second gear right hander which is taken at 75mph. Exiting, you take it flat out through the long, flowing right hand Lauda curve, reaching some 177mph in sixth gear on the approach to the sharp right of Clark, which is negotiated at 60mph in second gear. Hard on the throttle you sweep through the left hander of turn ten, which sees your speed increase to 183mph in seventh gear. This leads you into the left-right flick of eleven and twelve. Maintaining fifth gear through this section of the track, you then push hard on the throttle on the approach to Ascari. Braking hard as you reach the tight right hander, your speed drops from 185mph in sixth gear to 77mph in second. A short straight leads to Stewart, another right hander, which is negotiated at 110mph in third gear. A short burst of acceleration on the approach to Prost you reach 145mph in fourth before braking hard for the final two corners. The first corner, a tight left hander, is taken in first gear at 45mph. As you exit this corner you apply throttle for a short time and short-shift into third gear for the last bumpy right hander onto start finish straight to begin another lap. Lap information courtesy of West McLaren Mercedes.
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