Track Preview: 2015 Australian Grand Prix

Track Preview: 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne

The first race of the 2015 F1 season; The Australian Grand Prix circuit which is a semi-permanent facility at Albert Park in Melbourne is a special circuit because it means the return of a new Formula One season!

For this race, Pirelli have chosen the soft and medium P Zero tyres. Pirelli have chosen these tyres due to the slippery surface, low grip, high downforce and heavy braking: all of which increase the workload on the tyres around the Albert Pack circuit.

Albert Park took over the Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide in 1996. And with being a semi-permanent track, the racing line is often 'green': dirty and slippery, especially at the start of the weekend. This then increases the chances of wheelspin; which in turn leads to a greater degree of tyre degradation.

The torque of the new generation of turbo-hybrid engines accentuates this phenomenon, also acceleration and braking are the keys to a good performance in Melbourne, with the longitudinal forces at work on the tyres being greater than the lateral forces. The improved combined traction of the P Zero tyres this year marks a significant step forward in this area.

The left-rear tyre works hardest in Melbourne, with 10 right-hand corners and six left-hand corners. The asphalt is very smooth, which helps to extend tyre life and the teams run high downforce to cope with this. There are plenty of slow corners, putting the emphasis on mechanical grip from the tyres.

It would appear that a good, potentially flexible, strategy and the ability to look after tyres well pay dividends in Australia, which is often affected by safety cars and unpredictable weather.

With Pirelli stating that the new rear structures of the tyres are supposed to increase traction and help the drivers get onto the power earlier: this is one of the factors that will lead to faster lap times being posted this year, but as always at the start of the season, there are big question marks about the pecking order and relative performance of the cars.

All we know for sure from Pirelli at the moment is that performance will inevitably increase still further during the course of the year, which will naturally have an effect on the interaction between the cars and the tyres. The behaviour of the tyres was in line with our expectations during pre-season testing Pirelli has stated to the media; but of course you cannot really compare testing to real racing, with drivers pushing to the limit. That's why this weekend in Melbourne is so eagerly anticipated by everyone who loves Formula One or racing in general!

Facts and Figures

• Albert Park has hosted the Grand Prix since 1996.

• Jenson Button is the most successful driver currently at the track with three wins.

• McLaren is the most successful constructor to win the Grand Prix with twelve wins.

• Race distance: 307.574 km (191.071 miles)

• Number of turns: 17

• Lap record: Michael Schumacher- Ferrari (2004)- 1.24.125

Winners from last 5 Australian Grand Prix:

• 2010- Jenson Button
• 2011- Sebastian Vettel
• 2012-Jenson Button
• 2013- Kimi Raikkonen
• 2014- Nico Rosberg

My top 5 things to look out for this weekend:-

1.Return of Manor F1- It is a fantastic achievement to see Manor F1 back on the grid especially after everything they have gone through in the next few months and the news has been much welcomed by everyone who loves the sport. It will be interesting to see how Manor F1 perform this weekend in Melbourne; even though it will be difficult in my opinion for them to qualify but the most important thing no matter what happens is that they are at least trying to race as competitively as possible.

2.Return of McLaren-Honda- With McLaren and Honda back in partnership with each other in their first season, everyone's eyes will be watching to see how they perform this weekend in Melbourne, especially after a troubling period of pre-season testing. We will also see Kevin Magnussen racing this weekend instead of Fernando Alonso who has been advised not to race after his accident in pre-season testing. But can McLaren-Honda finish the race this weekend?

3.F1 Debut of Max Verstappen- In case you didn't already know, all eyes will upon rookie Max Verstappen who will make his F1 debut with the Toro Rosso team this weekend at the age of 17 years old. With many believing him to be one of the most talented young drivers out there at the moment, will Max be able to have the perfect start to his F1 career this weekend?

4.Sebastian Vettel's f1 debut with Ferrari- With a promising run in pre-season testing, many fans will be looking to see if Ferrari and especially Sebastian Vettel can sustain this level of performance and start off their partnership successfully. Can Ferrari and Vettel have the best start in Melbourne this weekend?

5.The performance of the world champions Mercedes- With Mercedes having yet another good period of running in pre-season testing, Mercedes are clearly still the favourites to retain both of their championships this season. But the real question is; who will be the Driver that will take the Driver's Championship this season? Will it be defending champion Lewis Hamilton who will claim his third title or will it be his team mate Nico Rosberg will be determined to win the title for himself? This will be the most talked about battle on the grid during the course of the season.

Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:

• Sky Sports F1:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 1.00am and 5.15pm [Replays throughout Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 2.45am and 5.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 4.00am

• BBC– Saturday (Qualifying Highlights) 12.50pm, Sunday (Race and Race Highlights) 1.15pm and 7.00pm