As Formula Virtual sets its sights for the streets of Adelaide, we break down what you need to be looking out for in this weekend's race. - Car Breaker
Perhaps the biggest point to bring up is this circuit's reputation when it comes to attrition. With a whopping average of 14-15 cars retiring per race when Formula One raced here, maxing out at an entire 18 retirements on one occasion. With half of the field not making the finish in the past, it's safe to say teams will be worried about the longevity of their machines. While the cars are more robust these days, some are convinced this will become a race of surviving to the end, rather than out and out pace. - High Kerbs Leading on from that point, the high kerbs must be mentioned. Lining the entry, apex and exit of every turn, the kerbs at this circuit are brutal, and can cause all manner of mishaps from spin-outs to shedding bodywork. With the floor being a more important part of producing downforce this season, don't be surprised if we see some drivers attempting to avoid these altogether come raceday - riding one of these kerbs risks drastically reducing aerodynamic load as we saw in Fuji. - Short Pitlane It is not a long pit road here in Adelaide; with the garages looking rather cramped and the pitlane itself cutting the final corner, some may be tempted to risk an aggressive strategy. While we won't know the true pit delta until race day, it will definitely be something the teams bear in mind when concocting their strategies. Also to be noted about this pit lane, is that it feeds directly into the racing line down into the first corner. If the communication between drivers and their engineers is not spot on, this could prove the undoing of anyone's race, with the potential for a nasty incident. - Short Layout - Shorter Straight Formula Virtual will be running the short course of this circuit compared to the classic layout, as has been the norm in recent years. This new layout sees the removal of Hutt Street and Rundle Road, cutting out a large portion of the Brabham Straight in doing so. Drivers will now blast down Bartels Road and hang on for all their salt in turn 9, which will definitely make all the difference if they can minimise the amount of speed they scrub off through it. With the cars expected to reach approximately 300kph it's then hard on the brakes into the Dequetteville Hairpin, where most of the overtakes are expected to happen in the race. Twisty Finish After the high octane run through the middle sector, the drivers find themselves having to hook up a tricky final sector with their tyres already hot from earlier in the lap. Turn 13 has an awkward braking zone, which if the drivers don't nail, may very well see the rears lock and the car point the wrong way. Following that, it's another awkward braking zone into the final turn as drivers round a slight kink at full throttle and immediately slam the anchors on to get it slowed down in time - running wide onto the grass here will definitely spell the end of a good race for anyone. When it Rains, it Pours Perhaps also worth mentioning, is the circuit's typical weather conditions. Ordinarily, it enjoys hot, sunny conditions that will be hard on driver and machine alike. But, the Australian streets are no strangers to rain - two out of eleven of the F1 races here were wet. Most notable was the race in 1991 where only 17 racing laps were completed before officials called off the session, counting the results back to lap 14. One driver was quoted saying "I don’t think that was a race, it was just a matter of staying on the circuit, and there was no point to try to go quick at all. It was impossible!". The conditions were also torrential in 1989, with many drivers struggling in the heavy rain that day as well. While the race looks likely to be dry, if the heavens do open then the drivers will have an almighty amount of water to deal with. All in all, this circuit presents many unique, new challenges to the drivers and teams up and down the FV paddock - some may attempt to maximise pace, while others may just look to keep their noses clean and capitalise on others' misfortune. It's set to be an absolute thriller with close battles up and down the grid, and drama all the way. We can't wait!
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