F1 circus travels into the unknown as Melbourne beckons!

Melbourne, 12 March 2014: Formula One season begins this week, with Melbourne hosting the Australian Grand Prix, the first round of the 19-round 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship. Defending champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing team powered by Renault engines may have faced a lot of problems during the pre-season testing but one cannot rule out neither the German, a four-time world champion or the Red Bull team. However, it looks that the new rules and the new engine will bring forth a new season of hope and competition for many of the teams. After a few races, the 2013 season was dominated by the Red Bull team and Vettel in particular, especially after the lose-tyre incident which forced Pirelli, the tyre suppliers to change the compounds. In the process, the Indian outfit, Sahara Force India too suffered.

This year despite the financial troubles and court cases affecting the owners of both Sahara and UB Group, Subrata Roy and Vijay Mallya, respectively, it is expected that it would not affect the finances of the team.  The team did well in the tests and had logged quite a number of laps that helped the engineers to set-up different permutations and combinations. Sahara Force India is looking forward to a good season with both Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg in good nick.

The temporary track around the Albert Park lake provides a stern challenge for drivers and cars alike. As is traditional with street circuits, the surface lacks the grip of a permanent racing facility. This leads to high track evolution as the circuit ‘rubbers-in’ over the weekend making set-up a moving target. The circuit also has various bumps and undulations that have been known to catch drivers out, particularly coming into braking zones, with gravel traps and unyielding walls waiting for the unwary or the unlucky.

The 2014 edition of the Australian Grand Prix has another factor to consider.  All eyes will be on the performance of F1’s new turbocharged power units. Winter testing suggested the 2014 cars had all the performance of their predecessors but with the hybrid technology still in its infancy, glitches abounded during the three scheduled testing sessions. While teams were able to complete race simulations with increasing confidence towards the end of the testing season, a race of attrition is to be expected in Melbourne.

Additionally, teams are still on the learning curve with their new equipment. The new cars will complete the race distance on two-thirds the fuel used by their predecessors – but maximising the potential of that load entails a new paradigm in race craft and is very much a work in progress.

Teams have acknowledged this first grand prix of the season will be a voyage into the unknown, with many discovering for the first time the capabilities of their race-specification cars during the practice sessions. It promises to be a surprising and exhilarating weekend.

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