The Driver's Eye: Australia

Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidsonconsiders the challenge presented by Albert Park - the host for the first race.

The first thing that every driver must overcome for the start of the season in Australia is a huge amount of jet-lag. The guys have only just finished the last test of the winter in Barcelona, after which they will have required some rest time before taking a long-haul flight, so they won't have had a lot of time to complete their preparations. Usually, a driver will fly out on the Saturday or Sunday the weekend before the race, and some might take a holiday nearby or even in Australia itself in order to acclimatise, but there's just no way of avoiding the problem of jet-lag. Once there, Melbourne is a chilled-out place with a very relaxed vibe, but the drivers themselves are likely to be feeling a little bit apprehensive knowing that the hard work is just about to begin. The first weekend of the season is a stressful time for a lot of people and the drivers are no exception. It's their first day back at school - which always throws up challenges. This year, we also have a few new drivers on the grid, and they are not going to be relaxed at all. Albert Park is also one of those circuits which, for a driver, is quite daunting. It's a street track - and as soon as you hear the words 'street track' you know it's going to be a challenge. It's a punishing circuit and mistakes will be highlighted. It's a traditional circuit in that it still has gravel traps, it's narrow, it's bumpy, there are few run-off areas and a lot of time is spent driving next to walls. And if that's not sufficiently challenging, it's also a high-speed lap - which is quite unusual for a street circuit.

Difference

Yet it's also definitely a circuit around which a driver can make a difference - so much so that sometimes it can be difficult to use Australia as an indicator of which team has the fastest car. If you're in a slightly weaker car, it's a place where you can hope to capitalise on the mistakes of others to finish in a points-paying position. If you're there at the end in Melbourne, the likelihood is that you will be in a position to score some points. The track itself is very satisfactory to master, although it always feels like a race against time to get to grips with it. Part of Melbourne's difficulty is that it's a constantly evolving surface. Coming into autumn, the trees are losing their leaves and the track surface is often quite dirty. The lack of grip at the start of the weekend makes Turn Three, which is a difficult corner at the best of times, particularly difficult for example, and it takes a long time for the overall track to bed in and reach a condition that is suitable for a F1 car. For new drivers, it's an especially difficult to track to master because you constantly feel as if you are playing catch-up against a track that is constantly changing. That said, once you get into the groove and it all clicks, it's a very rewarding track. Like any street circuit, once you find your rhythm, and feel confident about where to place your car, you can find heaps of time.