Now that the Grand Prix is back after a two-year hiatus, an upgrade to the Albert Grand Prix circuit will increase the average qualifying speed by 15 kilometres per hour, and the average qualifying lap should be about five seconds quicker.
The configuration has evolved to promote more competitive and exciting racing. Turn 1 will be 2.5 metres wider to allow overtaking. Cars brake just 150m from the turn, taking it at about 175km/h. Turn 6 is 7.5 metres wider to the drivers' right, and the cornering speed should leap from 155 km/h to 225 km/h. The removal of slow-speed chicane abutting the golf course means that cars will approach turn 9 at 330 km/h. The 150 km/h right-hand corner at turn 11 is at more of a right angle, and the extra width will allow drivers to dive down the inside to ambush a rival under braking. And finally, turn 13, the slowest corner at 90 km/h, is 3.5 metres wider to allow more overtaking.
Hopefully, the track upgrades will provide faster and more competitive racing, with lots of passing. If the first two races of the season are any indication, then the processions we have had in past years should become a thing of the past.
The configuration has evolved to promote more competitive and exciting racing. Turn 1 will be 2.5 metres wider to allow overtaking. Cars brake just 150m from the turn, taking it at about 175km/h. Turn 6 is 7.5 metres wider to the drivers' right, and the cornering speed should leap from 155 km/h to 225 km/h. The removal of slow-speed chicane abutting the golf course means that cars will approach turn 9 at 330 km/h. The 150 km/h right-hand corner at turn 11 is at more of a right angle, and the extra width will allow drivers to dive down the inside to ambush a rival under braking. And finally, turn 13, the slowest corner at 90 km/h, is 3.5 metres wider to allow more overtaking.
Hopefully, the track upgrades will provide faster and more competitive racing, with lots of passing. If the first two races of the season are any indication, then the processions we have had in past years should become a thing of the past.