Formula 1

Williams Racing relishing challenge of revised Albert Park circuit

Motorsport Technology
05 Apr 2022
3 min read

After an absence of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the world at large, Formula One racing finally returns to Albert Park for the third round of the 2022 FIA World Championship.

Always presenting a tough challenge around the picturesque lakeside setting in Melbourne, this year represents an even bigger challenge for teams and drivers as revisions to the circuit layout sees the removal of the old Turn 9/Turn 10 and four DRS zones to spice up the action even further.

For the Williams Racing F1 team, partnered by Acronis, it may be a good chance to kick-start the season with every team taking a step into the unknown.

“Traditionally, the street circuit nature of Melbourne has made for a fantastic technical and physical challenge for the drivers, but also led to difficulty in overtaking,” commented Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance. “The revisions to the layout and DRS zones should improve this, potentially making it one of the very best circuits on the Formula One calendar.

“With the removal of the old Turn 9/Turn 10, there is one fewer chicane in the layout, but nonetheless, changes of direction at low and high speed still dominate the circuit. Braking stability, kerb riding and car agility therefore remain critical to the car setup.

“The much faster section between Turn 8 and Turn 11 will alter the trade of downforce and drag, but with driver confidence also at a premium, taking off too much downforce could be detrimental, and we can expect to see all teams experimenting on Friday.”

For Nicholas Latifi, who joined the team before COVID-19 wiped out the chance of driving the circuit in 2020 and 2021, Albert Park represents a totally new challenge in any format.

Nicholas Latifi (CAN), Bahrain Grand Prix, Sunday 20th March 2022. Sakhir, Bahrain.

“I’m really excited to get my first taste of racing at Albert Park,” commented the Canadian. “I’ve not yet driven there with Formula One, although I did get to explore the venue in 2020 and I thought Melbourne was an incredible place.

“The circuit itself looks really fun, so to experience the whole event will be great. The new track changes look promising; I really hope it’ll improve the racing so we’re able to put on an exciting Grand Prix for the fans after they’ve waited for so long.”

And despite making his F1 debut halfway through 2019, teammate Alexander Albon will also be getting a first taste of the circuit after the cancellations of the past two seasons.

“There are a lot of changes to the circuit this year, so I’m excited to see how we get on and how the FW44 handles the track,” added Albon. “I know the whole team will be hoping to bounce back after a tricky event in Jeddah, so we’ll be pushing hard to maximise performance and do the best we can.”

TEAM UP WITH ACRONIS

Prominent once again on the nose of the car and on the front wing endplates are the team’s official cyber protection partner Acronis. Williams Racing uses Acronis technology to add extra layers of protection to its IT infrastructure, protecting hundreds of servers and endpoint devices.

During the 2021 season, Acronis opened up an exciting #TeamUp Program, giving new and existing service providers the opportunity to support sports partnerships, join the sports ecosystem, attend races and enjoy amazing sports marketing benefits. To find out more, please visit https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/msp-sports/

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