AT&T Williams F1-2010 Australian GP Preview

After a points finish at the opening GP in Bahrain, the AT&T Williams team will be arriving in Melbourne determined to perform more strongly at a circuit that has historically suited their car dynamics.

Sam Michael, Technical Director

Albert Park is a low grip street circuit, and you’re normally on the limit when it comes to tyre graining. As a result, careful management of car set-up throughout the weekend is a pre-requisite. We will have some improvements for the FW32 in Australia that we will roll out during Friday’s practice sessions. It’s going to be a really interesting weekend in terms of seeing how the teams perform on such a different track in comparison to Sakhir. In terms of strategy, Bahrain gave a good indication as to what will be the most likely pit strategy for Melbourne.

Rubens Barrichello

Melbourne is a great place for a Grand Prix. The racing is always competitive so it’s a good track from a fan perspective; it’s also a very social city so it’s nice to hang out there. I like Albert Park a lot. It doesn’t really feel like a street circuit, it’s very challenging and has some interesting corners to negotiate. We had some minor problems in Bahrain but we have resolved them now for Australia. I’m positive we will have a stronger race this weekend.

Nico Hülkenberg

As a circuit, I don’t know Albert Park at all as I haven’t raced there yet. I spent a few days in the factory last week going through practice runs on the simulator and running through data with my engineers which was really helpful but nothing beats having time on the track itself. Bahrain wasn’t the best race for me, but there were some positives to be taken from it because it highlighted where we need to do some more work. I’m hoping that we will have a more successful weekend in Australia as a result of what I learnt in Bahrain, and what the team have worked on since we came home. I’m flying out to Sydney on Saturday morning for a driver day with RBS on Tuesday. I then have an appearance for Randstad on Wednesday in Melbourne before heading to the circuit.

Kilos per lap: 2.36kg/5km
Time loss per 5km of fuel: 0.07s/lap of fuel
Vmax: 303 kph
Average speed: 225 kph
Average corner speed: 156 kph
Turn angle: 84 degrees
Temperatures: Ambient 24 degrees C / Track 32 degrees C
Greatest power reductions: 1016 mbar pressure
Pitlane loss: 17.9 sec lost
Pitlane length: 280m
Safety cars: 1.5 per race

Circuit Statistics Legend
Kilos per lap: This indicates the amount of fuel required to complete a lap of each circuit normalised for a 5km lap, thereby indicating the relative fuel demands of each circuit.
Time loss per 5km of fuel: This metric indicates the relative penalty at each circuit of carrying 5km of fuel.
Vmax: The highest top speed at each circuit, one variable in the aero map for each track profile.
Average speed: Velocity averaged over the circuit distance, another variable in determining the aero map.
Average corner speed: In contrast to Vmax which indicates highest speeds achieved normally on the longest straight of the circuit, average corner speed indicates the aggregated speeds through all corners on any given circuit, providing an insight to the nature of the circuit profile.
Turn angle: Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time.
Temperatures: Average ambient and track temperatures have a bearing on many variables, from tyre warm-up to significant car cooling requirements. And if you need to open the bodywork for cooling, you have to consider the potential drag penalties.
Greatest power reductions: Air density has a bearing on engine power and the most influential factor in air density is air pressure, determined by the elevation above sea level.
Pitlane loss: The time lost (excluding stationery time) entering and exiting the pitlane, providing an indication of not just the pitlane length, but also its profile.
Pitlane length: The entry to exit distance of each pitlane.
Safety cars: A variety of past statistics indicates the likelihood of the safety car’s possible intervention.

Courtesy AT&T Williams F1 © RIF