According to the time trials menu on F1 2020, Albert Park is a ‘very easy’ circuit. Whoever wrote that has evidently never attempted to get the most out of the fast chicane at turns 11 and 12.
While the Australian Grand Prix circuit is not as easy at it seems, there are certain tips and tricks that can make your life easier at Albert Park.
Turns 1 & 2
The first braking zone of the lap into turn 1 is a fairly heavy one.
THEY'RE OFF: Turn 1 is often the site of the first crash of the F1 season
Hit the brakes at the 100m board on the left hand-side of the track and aim to cut the inside kerb with about half of your car. As you hit the kerb, you should find yourself at around 118mph in 5th gear.
The exit of turn 1 is turn 2 itself. The best way to take this is to lean quite heavily on the kerb on your left, just about keeping your right-hand wheels on the track itself.
As soon as you’re clear of turn 1 and confident in the car, you should floor the throttle.
Turn 3
After the second DRS straight you’ll reach turn three. Your braking point here is the break in the wall on your left shortly after the 100m board.
DANGER ZONE: Turn 3 has seen many accidents in F1's history
Try to take as tight a line through the corner as you can, sticking close to the apex of the corner. At the apex, you should be down to around 55mph in 3rd gear.
On the exit, be careful with the throttle. This part of the track is slippery and it’s easy to lose the car, so wind on the throttle slowly and listen to your force feedback to know when you’re safe to floor it.
Turns 4 & 5
After the exit of three you should swing to the left-hand side as far as you can to open up the line for four.
LUMPS AND BUMPS: The kerbs around turn 4 are some of the steepest on the circuit
You don’t need to brake into turn four but you will need to lift off of the throttle, making sure that your speed at the apex is around 95mph in 4th gear.
Aim to ride the inside kerb at turn 4 with your left-side wheels, but not more than that. On the exit, plant the throttle before you reach the large exit kerb on the right. If your throttle is fully planted before reaching this kerb, you should be able to ride it without issue.
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However, this is another difficult traction zone, so sometimes it’s better to err on the side of caution when it comes to laying down the power.
Once again, you’ll need to swing across the track to prepare for the next corner. Turn 5 can be taken flat out as long as you aren’t too sharp with your steering and you avoid the kerb on the inside which can unsettle the car.
Turns 6 & 7
The turn 6 and 7 complex is very similar to turns 1 and 2, in that you’ll want to cut some of the inside kerb at six and run along the exit kerb through 7.
INTO THE LIGHT: It can be hard to spot your braking zone in the shadows before turn 6
For turn 6 itself, your braking point is around 75m before the corner itself. Like in turn 1, aim to cut the inside kerb with about half of your car. You should go down to 98mph or so here, using 4th gear.
As soon as you’re off of the inside kerb of 6, floor the throttle and take 7 flat out, leaning on the outside kerb as you do so.
Turns 9 & 10
Once again, these two corners follow a similar format. For turn 9, brake shortly after the 100m board but before the break in the wall on your left.
TAKE CARE: This entry kerb will not forgive corner cutting
Aim to clip in the inside kerb with your front right tyre, but don’t use the kerb any more than that as it will unsettle the car.
At the apex, you should reach a minimum speed of 78mph, taking the corner in 3rd gear. Once again, it’s important to run along the exit kerb through turn 10. However, this kerb gives the car more trouble than either turn 2 or turn 7.
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To make sure you don’t spin out, try to position the car so that the yellow and green kerbing itself runs directly under the middle of the car. If this is the case, you should be able to plant the throttle nice and early on the exit of turn 9.
Turns 11 & 12
After the long flat out turn 10, you’ll find yourself at the most exciting and difficult part of the track; the turn 11 and 12 chicane.
EXTREME G RACING: The G-forces generated through here are some of the highest in F1
On the entry to 11, brake immediately after the 50m board, with your car as close to the wall on your right as you can manage without touching it.
Aim to get the small lump of kerbing on the inside of the corner to pass directly under your car, as you did with the exit of turn 9. As you run over it, you should be at no less than 165mph in 7th gear.
On the exit of 11, it’s important to get the car as far to the left of the track as you can before 12. However, if you steer too sharply to the left, you’ll unsettle the car and it won’t turn in for 12.
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If you can manage it, try to cut the inside kerb of 12 with half of your car, as you did and turns 1 and 6. It’s easy to pick up a corner cutting warning here though, so be careful not to cut any more than that.
Your minimum speed for 12 should be around 170mph, taken in 7th gear. Try to lay down the power as soon as you feel comfortable on the exit, but again it is very easy to find yourself in the wall if you get it wrong. Therefore, it’s best to exercise due caution here.
Turns 13 & 14
After the third and final DRS straight of the track comes turn 13, a sharp right-hander. Brake at about 80m before the corner, taking your speed down to around 92mph for the apex, which you should do in 4th gear.
TRIP TO THE BEACH: It's easy to run wide and into the gravel on the exit of 14
Try to clip the inside kerb just before it ends, so that your car will be nice and straight on the exit. Once you’re out of 13, you can lean on the exit kerb as you did in turns 2 and 7.
As with most kerbs at this track, it’s best to have neither of your wheels running along the actual kerbing as you put the power down.
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Turn 14 requires a tiny dab on the brakes a little way after the 50m board. This should take you down to 133mph in 5th gear.
Your front right wheel should run along the majority of the length of the inside kerb here. On exit, use the kerbs exactly like on the exit of 13.
Turns 15 & 16
Once the car is stable, get it over to the right-hand side of the track as soon as you can in preparation for turn 15. Your braking point here is at about 80m before the corner, and you should slow down to no lower than 50mph.
ANCHORS OUT: The braking zone for turn 15 is one of the hardest of the lap
Keeping the car in 3rd gear helps to prevent difficulties with traction on the exit of the corner.
Aim for the slightest of kisses between your front-left tyre and the inside kerb of 15, steering hard left throughout the corner as running wide on the exit will cost you lap time.
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For the final corner of the lap, turn 16, you will again want to take your car as far to the outside of the track as you can before turning in. Gently increase your throttle application throughout the corner.
Avoid touching the inside kerb as this can unsettle the car, but run as close as you can to it nevertheless. Short-shifting twice through this corner will also help with stability on the exit.
Setup
It's essential that you have a car which gives you the confidence to fully commit at Albert Park, as doing so will gain you a lot of lap time.
Luckily, we have just the thing! Try our Australian Grand Prix setup guide for yourself.