Australian GP makes huge changes in order to improve racing ahead of F1 battle

The 2022 Australian Grand Prix is set to be the most exciting yet after a number of changes to the Albert Park Circuit were confirmed ahead of the race this weekend.

Formula 1 last raced Down Under in 2019, when Valtteri Bottas took victory on the streets of Melbourne for Mercedes, with the last two events cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But while many are pleased to be back to soak up the electric Aussie atmosphere, Albert Park has never produced the most entertaining races, with some calling for it to be replaced.

However, huge changes to the circuit have been made in an attempt to improve overtaking and the overall quality of racing, the most notable of which being the introduction of four DRS zones, an F1 record.

While most circuits only have two, Albert Park will add two new DRS zones between turns 8-9 and turns 10-11, in addition to the pre-exiting zones on the main straight and between turns 2-3.

As well as the new DRS zones, it had already been announced that various corners would be widened and the chicane at turns 9 and 10 removed, while the entire track has been resurfaced for the first since it made its debut on the F1 calendar back in 1996.

These changes will no doubt lead to more overtaking on a circuit where straight-line speed is hard to come by and with the new F1 cars able to follow and pass each other more easily, the 2022 Grand Prix looks set to be the most entertaining race Australia has held in many a year.

‘Lap times will be four to five seconds quicker than they were in the old spec cars with the old track configuration,’ Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott said.

‘You want to reward aggressive driving and penalise poor driving and we think that the changes we have made