Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidsonconsiders the challenge presented by Albert Park - this weekend's host for the start of the 2012 season...
Tuesday 22 May 2012 10:52, UK
Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidsonconsiders the challenge presented by Albert Park - the host for the first race.
The first thing that every driver must overcome for the start of the season in Australia is a huge amount of jet-lag. The guys have only just finished the last test of the winter in Barcelona, after which they will have required some rest time before taking a long-haul flight, so they won't have had a lot of time to complete their preparations. Usually, a driver will fly out on the Saturday or Sunday the weekend before the race, and some might take a holiday nearby or even in Australia itself in order to acclimatise, but there's just no way of avoiding the problem of jet-lag. Once there, Melbourne is a chilled-out place with a very relaxed vibe, but the drivers themselves are likely to be feeling a little bit apprehensive knowing that the hard work is just about to begin. The first weekend of the season is a stressful time for a lot of people and the drivers are no exception. It's their first day back at school - which always throws up challenges. This year, we also have a few new drivers on the grid, and they are not going to be relaxed at all. Albert Park is also one of those circuits which, for a driver, is quite daunting. It's a street track - and as soon as you hear the words 'street track' you know it's going to be a challenge. It's a punishing circuit and mistakes will be highlighted. It's a traditional circuit in that it still has gravel traps, it's narrow, it's bumpy, there are few run-off areas and a lot of time is spent driving next to walls. And if that's not sufficiently challenging, it's also a high-speed lap - which is quite unusual for a street circuit.