Toto Talks Australia
We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn. At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.
There won’t be a magic fix for the next race weekend, but we’re pushing to steadily bring gains over the up-coming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack. Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.
So, there are various challenges ahead of us, but that’s something we relish and is when a team really shows its true spirit. Lewis and George are making an important contribution to the overall effort, providing feedback, spending time in the simulator and working together to help push us forward.
Now we head back to Melbourne for the first time since 2020 and will be racing in Australia for the first time in three years - that’s too long for a city and country that are so passionate about F1. We’re looking forward to seeing the fans and the new track layout which promises more overtaking opportunities and faster lap times.
Fact File: Australian Grand Prix
The Albert Park track has gone through significant modifications since F1 was last there. The new layout is 24 metres shorter, which is expected to result in faster lap times.
To summarise the changes, turns 1, 3, 6, 11 and 13 have all been widened to open up the apex and provide more space for overtaking. The biggest modification is the removal of the previous Turn 9/10 chicane, which has been turned into a fast, flat-out flick that leads onto the high-speed left-right sequence.
The pit lane length in Australia is one of the shortest in F1, measuring just 281 metres, and it has typically been a very narrow pit lane. But for 2022, along with the other track changes, the pit lane has been widened to provide more space.
By the time Formula One cars hit the track on Friday, it’ll have been 756 days since the sport was last in Australia – for the 2020 event that was cancelled before Friday practice – and 1,118 days since the last race at Albert Park in 2019.
There’s an 11-hour time difference between Australia and the UK, making it particularly tricky for our placement students and engineers working in the Race Support Room (RSR) in Brackley and Track Support Office (TSO) in Brixworth. The support teams have access to a sleep schedule, to help shift over to a different time zone, but everyone approaches it differently.
From Thursday onwards, the support teams in the UK will not only watch all the sessions live, but they’ll also join all the engineering meetings at the track remotely – making for some unique and unusual working patterns. For example, the race day shift will start at 2am and be wrapped up by mid-morning. And they will build up to the time zone in Melbourne over the course of the race week.
Video Feature: F1 2022 Race Weekend Changes, Explained
This week, we’re looking at the changes to the race weekend for F1 2022, the impact they have on the team and drivers, and first impressions so far. The video features interviews with Andrew Shovlin (Trackside Engineering Director) and Ron Meadows (Sporting Director).
Please find on the below link two different versions of the video. We grant you permission to use these in your broadcasts. The two versions are:
The social media version of the video including graphics and music
A finalised version of the video with graphics, but without music
Embargo: While the video is available for broadcast use, it is embargoed for use on social media channels until Friday 8th April at 9am AEST. After that point, you have our permission to post the video natively on your social media channels if you wish.
Alternatively, if you would like to share the video sooner, our YouTube video is open for embedding on your websites. Details are below.
Video download links:
https://we.tl/t-virGX1fXXpYouTube video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1CLTdsHQPMFeature: The Impact of the Race Weekend Changes for F1 2022
Alongside big technical changes for the 2022 Formula One season, a number of modifications have also been made to the race weekend format and the sporting regulations. What impact do these changes have on how the drivers and teams operate?
Compressed Schedule and Curfew Times
The amount of on-track running remains the same for 2022, but the schedule has changed slightly. Friday’s two practice sessions have been shifted later in the day and Thursday’s ‘media day’ has been moved to the Friday morning. For the mechanics and engineers, that means a more compressed schedule, with less time to work on the cars, prepare for sessions and analyse them afterwards.
There is now a curfew on the Wednesday (19:00 for Australia), meaning less time to begin prep work, while Thursday has set start and end times at the track (08:00 until 19:00, for Melbourne). The 11-hour day is shorter compared to previous years and we’re only allowed to fire up the car at a certain time (16:00 at European rounds). Overall, it’s a more constrained timeframe to build the cars and makes it harder to bring in parts late.
On Friday, there is less time available to work on the cars, particularly after FP2, where there are just three hours before the covers need to be on (20:00 in Australia). The engineers have a few extra hours to play with (curfew begins at 22:00 in Melbourne), but it’s still less time available.
Saturday is a similar story, with less time after qualifying for the mechanics and engineers to work on the car (the car covers come on at 19:00 this weekend, just two hours after qualifying finishes). It’s certainly a new challenge that’ll take some getting used to, with more free time for team members but more intense windows of work at the track.
FP1 Running for Rookies
Some fresh faces will be making an appearance up and down the grid during race weekends in 2022, with the requirement for two first practice sessions (one per driver) being completed by a rookie. This provides a great opportunity for young drivers to gain experience in F1 machinery.
Sprint Races Return
In 2021 we had the introduction of Sprint Race weekends, with a Friday qualifying session determining the grid for the short Sprint Race on Saturday, which ultimately decided the starting line-up for Sunday’s main event. There were three of them across the year to test the format.
The Sprint weekends are back for 2022 for three rounds: Emilia Romagna, Austria and Brazil. The challenge of the Sprint format remains, with only one hour of practice to prepare the car for the qualifying session, sprint race and main race. This is even more challenging this year with the all-new cars and tyres.
But there are some enhancements to the Sprint weekends for this season. Pole position is now awarded to the fastest driver in Friday’s qualifying session, rather than Sprint Race winner, and there are more points on offer. In 2021, there were only points for the podium finishers, but now the top eight in the Sprint all receive points, with eight points awarded to the winner and the eighth-placed driver picking up a single point.
New Q2 Tyre Rule
In previous seasons, drivers in the top 10 shootout in Qualifying had to start the race on the tyre they set their fastest time on in Q2. This regulation has now been removed, with drivers in Q3 now having free starting tyre choice.
This adds an extra unknown element, as we won’t know which tyre our rivals are starting on until the blankets come off. It also means we can’t do the same level of planning when it comes to strategy, but it will mean more variety of strategy up and down the field.
The Automobile Display
A new feature for the 2022 race weekends is the Automobile Display, which is effectively a form of ‘show and tell’ with the car. On Friday morning, we have to present both cars to the FIA and F1, to show them the car spec we will run in FP1. After Qualifying, if selected by the FIA, we will present the cars again and show how they have evolved over the weekend.
It’s a good opportunity for us to show the fans and the broadcasters what has changed on the car in an open and transparent way, providing a close-up and uninterrupted look at our pair of W13s
