Australian F1 Grand Prix - 2012

Circuit Information And Race Programme

The 2012 FORMULA 1™ ING Australian Grand Prix

Although a temporary installation, the Albert Park Formula One Circuit is unlike any other circuit, set in a beautiful park around a huge artificial lake, just to the south of Melbourne! Located close to the city centre and easily accessible by public tram.
Melbourne itself is a diverse mix of cultures and provides a great welcome every year, to people from all over the world. Famed for it's shopping and in particular for its variety of nightlife, including the largest Casino in the Southern hemisphere, Melbourne offers you a unique experience to be savoured. Not surprisingly, the drivers voted the Australian Formula One GP, as the best Formula 1 Grand Prix for 2004!

Formula One Circuit Information

General

The organisers have mastered the art of erecting excellent circuit facilities overnight, just outside the central business area of Melbourne and near the beachside district of St. Kilda.
Albert Park is neither a full time race circuit nor a street circuit, running as it does, on purpose-made roads around the park. The parkland setting and the warm Melbourne weather, combine to make the race circuit a very pleasant venue to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix from. The track surface is as green as the surrounding park; after a year of pedestrians, cycles and horses passing over the track, the grip level is poor, although it will improve throughout the race weekend. The circuit winds over roadways around the park and features a good combination of high-, medium- and low-speed corners, including a couple of chicanes and some rather difficult overtaking areas in braking zones.

What the drivers say

Most racing drivers love going to Australia, the atmosphere is nice, and it's usually the first race of the Formula 1 season. The circuit is a mix of high-speed straights and tight corners and good brakes and grip become important factors. Overtaking is quite difficult here, with the two best overtaking chances at the end of the pits straight and through the left flick of Turn 11. The track surface is very smooth, resulting in relatively low grip, particularly at the start of the weekend. Throughout the weekend however, the grip tends to pick up rapidly and it is not uncommon for the cars to be quicker during the race through the slow corners, than they have been during qualifying. Traction is of great importance and reliability is also usually an issue.

Event Program And Information

General event information

The 2012 FORMULA 1™ ING Australian Grand Prix is set to take place from March 26 to March 29, and promises to be a spectacular battle between the great names in F1 racing.

The event will offer something for everyone; from roving entertainers and rides, to a post-race rock concert by the legendary rock band, 'The Who'.

2012 will see the return of the V8 Supercars, an event that proved to be popular in the past. A new format will be introduced; Ford will take on Holden to battle it out for top honours in the V8 Supercars Manufacturers' Challenge.

Although not yet finalised for 2012, we have included last year's Formula 1 GP racing program, to give you an idea of what the event program could look like. We do not expect any other major changes from the previous GP program and information below.
Please take note that the following program is the previous year's Formula 1 program information, and will change for 2012. Known changes are indicated in red.