The 2008 Australian GP Preview

Being at a similar altitude to the Japanese Fuji circuit, all the teams will find their power levels reduced due to the thinner air.

There are pros and cons to turning a park in to a racing circuit, and Albert Park shows them up well. On the downside, the surface is usually very green, particularly at the start of the weekend, so grip is in short supply; to the point, the teams need to judge how fast it will rubber in as the race progresses, and ensure their cars remain in balance, as those that do the best job will have a distinct advantage by the end of the race.

Overtaking is difficult, as there is limited room to play with compared with a dedicated race track, so expect qualifying and pit strategy to play an important role; on the other hand, when passes take place on the track, they are usually brave and memorable.

This circuit is noted for fast straights and big stops, so effective brake cooling and good traction will be rewarded. Relatively high temperatures will mean monitoring the engine and gearbox cooling is vital, particularly as hot weekends in Malaysia and Bahrain are coming up: an eye to the long term will probably have a fair number of drivers settling for their positions after the final pitstop, rather than stretching the mechanics.

Needless to say, between changing grip, tricky overtaking and big stops, accidents are far from rare, so it should be no surprise to see the safety car - probably more than once.

Jean Todt congratulates Lewis Hamilton on the podium © LAT

Flashback

In 2007, Ferrari and McLaren converted their quick testing times in to solid qualifying performances for Raikkonen, who comfortably took pole (though there would have been a fight if Massa's gearbox had not played up). Alonso was pushed for second by BMW's Heidfeld, who shared the second row with debutant Hamilton. Further back, Fisichella lined up sixth for Renault, Sato made it to tenth as the Super Aguri's looked decent, and Rosberg did well to get his Williams in to twelfth.

On race day, Raikkonen pulled out smoothly at the front, whilst the BMWs attacked the McLarens. Alonso gave up second to Heidfeld as Hamilton fought back, going round both Kubica and his teammate for third. This essentially set the stage for the race as Raikkonen made the most of the BMW cushion to open a gap at the front. In fact, Alonso had a slightly advantaged fuel strategy, so was sure to come out ahead as long as he kept track of the rookie.

Kubica and Heidfeld were on different strategies - hedging against safety car periods - which gave the pole a slight advantage; unfortunately, stuck in fifth on lap 37, he ended his race early, but it was clear that BMW were in a class of their own behind the leading two outfits. Fisichella had a quiet race for fourth, pounding out the laps without really encountering anyone.

Felipe Massa had changed engines after the disaster of qualifying, starting from the back, which saw him making slow progress through the field: he might have finished ahead of Fisichella but for that precautionary step. Behind him, Nico Rosberg finally returned to the form that was promised at the start of the year before, delivering a strong overtaking manoeuvre on Ralf Schumacher's Toyota to take an impressive seventh.

Pos  Driver        Team                  Time
 1.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)  1h25:28.770
 2.  Alonso        McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  +     7.242
 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  +    18.595
 4.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)  +    38.763
 5.  Fisichella    Renault              (B)  +  1:06.469
 6.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)  +  1:06.805
 7.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      (B)  +     1 lap
 8.  R.Schumacher  Toyota               (B)  +     1 lap

Fastest race lap:  Raikkonen, 1:25.235
Qualifying best: Alonso, Q2, 1:25.326

Weather

With temperatures expected to be in the mid eighties (somewhat above average), very little wind and some intermittent cloud, the weekend promises consistent and near perfect weather for racing.

Strategy

With few exceptions, this should prove to be a two-stop race. Some of the front-running teams may opt for slightly lighter fuel and to start the race on the softer compound, in order to improve grid position and their traction getting away at the start of the race, but the more usual hard-hard-soft choices ought to be the norm.

Conclusions

With the midfield closing up, there could be some very interesting battles between Williams, Renault, Red Bull and BMW-Sauber to score points: experience and race craft are likely to tell, as any mistake will probably remove a driver from contention.

At the front, battle is set to recommence between Ferrari and McLaren, with a slight edge to the reigning Champions: both their drivers are now well settled in, so they have to be expecting to put both cars on the podium. Either way, when the lights go out in Melbourne, it should prove to be a tight race at the front.

A lap of Melbourne with Alex Wurz

"I love the Aussies. They are very friendly and open-minded, and they just love it when the Grand Prix comes to town. The racetrack is in a park, so it's a mix of public roads and permanent racetrack. It's only used once a year, which creates an extra challenge for the teams because the grip level is always changing.

"The track is usually four or five seconds quicker in the race than it is in free practice, which means you're always reacting to it with the set-up. It's quite difficult to stay on top of it.

"As for the circuit, you approach the first corner in seventh gear, at about 300km/h. It's a very bumpy braking area, so you have to make sure you're not over doing it. Turns 3, 4 and 5 make up a flowing part of the circuit: Turn 3 is taken in second gear and the next left and right are challenging and quite fast.

"Turn 6 should be almost flat - if you have a good car - before you're hard on the brakes for a chicane. A long right-hander follows before you come to another second gear chicane. It's quite a difficult braking area because we arrive at 300km/h, but you're quickly on the throttle again and powering past the lake, through a long, bumpy left-hander.

"Then there's the high-speed chicane at Turns 11 and 12. It's a really nice part of the circuit, particularly as the level of grip increases. We drive through it at a minimum speed of 220km/h and the rear gets a bit light, so it's a good challenge for the car and it certainly keeps you awake in the cockpit!

"Then you come to the last sector. The last two corners look a bit Mickey Mouse, but there's a lot of lap time to be gained there. As you arrive at the penultimate corner, you have to stay really calm and get your braking point just right. Then it's a matter of carrying as much speed as you can out of the last corner and over the start-finish line."

Team By Team

Kimi Raikkonen © LAT

Ferrari

Having won both championships in 2007, Ferrari went through the off-season with an aggressive program in a bid to retain those titles, so they are expected to arrive in Melbourne with a slight edge over McLaren, who remain pretty evenly matched.

Testing seems to show the Ferrari with an edge in pace on race day, though perhaps they are giving up a little to McLaren in terms of absolute pace; considering the final qualifying session (not to mention the race) is expected to be in a racing configuration, that may prove not to be a problem.

One of the downsides of aggressive development is that it can compromise reliability: a year ago, Massa arrived as hot favourite, but a gearbox issue in qualifying left him at the back of the grid and unable to make an impression on the podium. It will be key to Ferrari's plans that they have ironed out the gremlins that showed up in testing...

1. Kimi Raikkonen: arriving as the defending world champion, and winner in 2007, Raikkonen is favourite to win again this year. It is not likely to be a trivial matter, though: Massa is not going to go slow, and at McLaren should be right on the pace, too.

2. Felipe Massa: after struggling with disappointing reliability last year, Massa has to see this year as his opportunity; he regularly outpaced his teammate over the last season, and there is every reason to believe he can do so again.

Objectives: Win the race.

BMW Sauber

A strong season in 2007 where they were comfortably the 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari and McLaren allowed BMW-Sauber to start looking to their new car earlier than most of the midfield.

The new car reveals highly complex aerodynamics - and seems to have struggled to shown the progress the team anticipated. This car appears to be more difficult to set up, probably due to stability issues. Whilst this has been improving through testing, until they have fully resolved the problem, it does mean that they might find themselves off the pace at any circuit - or even as a result of a change in the conditions.

Accordingly, there is some danger that the car will not live up to expectations, which would leave their drivers struggling to score points against the improving Renault, Williams and Red Bull outfits; on the other hand, should its potential be released this weekend, then it might even push Ferrari and McLaren for a podium finish.

3. Nick Heidfeld: following on from an impressive year, Heidfeld has illustrated that he is to be reckoned with, and there is little doubt that he is looking for an opportunity to take the fight to the leading outfits (again) and finish on the podium.

4. Robert Kubica: after a somewhat overshadowed year in 2007, Kubica has to be working on a return to the form of his rookie season. With the new car, it seems he has come to terms with any difference in style to get the best out of it, and at least is back on a par with his teammate for absolute pace. Whether his race craft has also returned to par will soon be clear...

Objectives: At least one car on the podium.

Fernando Alonso © LAT

Renault

Last year saw Renault appearing to lose their way, dropping into the midfield behind BMW. They spent the season scoring regular points, but never really threatened to get back on the pace. Accordingly, the new car is a decided departure from that approach.

On the positive side, when it goes well, there is a noticeable step forward in pace; on the downside, the new design philosophy has left a learning curve for setting the car up to get the most out of it, so they are likely to appear to be behind their likely competition during practice.

When they get it right, which they generally should in due course, the car ought to be quick: keep an eye out for them to show well in qualifying. If the balance is a little off, then they will fall to the likes of Williams and Red Bull on race day, unless their drivers can look after their tyres without hugely compromising their pace.

Racing with the season in mind, the team can be expected to maximise points, looking after their cars and worrying about the big picture: which is not to say that they are going to roll over if challenged!

5. Fernando Alonso: returning to the fold where he won two world championships, Alonso is not expecting an easy time on race day: the car is simply not good enough to take the race to the front at this point. It would be surprising if he does not put on a decent showing and score points, but a podium finish would require an element of luck, too.

6. Nelson Piquet: despite being a rookie, Piquet junior is recognised for having a decent turn of speed, and few qualms about overtaking in difficult circumstances; he may have finished runner-up to Hamilton in GP2, but there will be no prisoners taken as he works to establish his place in Renault. Piquet is unlikely to immediately threaten Alonso's race day pace, but it should be interesting to see what he can get out of the car in qualifying.

Objectives: Both cars in the points.

Williams

Williams spent most of 2007 as the 'also rans' - regularly picking up points, but always eclipsed by the leading trio, and generally lost out to Renault. However, there is no denying that they were the best of the privateer teams, and they have continued to work on closing the gap to the front.

The new car is clearly a step forward, and might be a platform that gets the team back on the podium before the season is over; testing pace and reliability suggest they should be on the pace of BMW and Renault, though the improved form of Red Bull must be raising some concerns.

Last year, the team scored points from an impressive race by Rosberg, which they will be hoping to repeat: getting both cars in the points may be ambitious, but there is little doubt they will be disappointed to come away from Australia without scoring.

7. Nico Rosberg: a strong race last season saw Rosberg finish seventh after a fine pass on Ralf Schumacher's Toyota; he continued the year as he started it and made a big impression in the paddock - his star is again on the ascendency. This new car seems to be a better tool than its predecessor, so a points finish must be the goal - perhaps even an outside chance at the podium.

8. Kazuki Nakajima: with a reasonable showing in the final 2007 race at Brazil under his belt, Nakajima has the slight advantage over other rookies of having already raced on a flyaway weekend with his team, but there is little doubt he has his work cut out in Melbourne. Capable of a fine turn of speed, if he shines it is likely to be on Saturday, but his relative inexperience and propensity for mistakes will probably see him struggle for a points finish on race day.

Objectives: Both cars in the points.

David Coulthard and Mark Webber © LAT

Red Bull Racing

There is no two ways about it - Red Bull are making progress, and they have absolutely every intention of getting to the front of the midfield this year. The new car is an evolution on its troublesome predecessor, and perhaps still not as reliable is it could be, but the evidence points to another step forward in performance.

Last season, the first with their current design philosophy, terrible reliability made a mess of testing, so the team were still struggling to work out how to best set the car up at the start of the season - indeed, they were regularly shown up by the junior Toro Rosso outfit in those early races. As the year progressed, they started to show up towards the front on a semi-regular basis, with points from three of the last four races.

Whilst testing really doesn't provide the whole story, the evidence points to that progress being maintained over the off-season, so the team will be expecting to fight Williams, BMW and Renault for points every weekend.

9. David Coulthard: starting his fifteenth year in Formula One, the Scot has to be pleased with the overall improvement to the package, and his work over recent seasons is coming good; this should be an opportunity to score more points for the outfit. Qualifying remains a bugbear: provided there is no disaster there, he can be expected to put in a strong performance on race day.

10. Mark Webber: despite a reputation as a qualifying specialist, the battling Aussie pushes hard on race day; this has seen him over drive on occasion, which is something to beware of in front of his home crowd. Keep a particular eye out for his qualifying performance - and a points finish if he can manage a mistake free race.

Objectives: Score points.

Toyota

Judging by their improved form in testing, Toyota have made a definite step forward - though probably not as much as their testing performance implies. The new car appears to be capable of turning in some stunning laps, but there is no evidence yet that this can be translated in to a full race distance performance.

On the positive side, it is a great place to start the year, and shows they are knocking on the doors of challenging the midfield. Strong qualifying pace is vital at enough of the circuits on the calendar that they can hope to bring points home just by being very difficult to pass - something that Trulli has illustrated to great effect in the past.

Although they are probably a team to watch as the season unfolds, and as they unlock the full potential of the car, this outing is likely to see them feature relatively little, except perhaps in qualifying.

11. Jarno Trulli: with a couple of quick showings in testing, Trulli may have an upbeat approach to this weekend, but there is little doubt that he will have to fight for points. A qualifying specialist, he could place well in the top 10 on Saturday, but holding on to the place on Sunday is likely to prove troublesome.

12. Timo Glock: the German may struggle to get the car set up quite perfectly for race day, but he will have no qualms about driving the wheels off it to get the most out of the machinery. Should he get in a decent qualifying performance, then Trulli will have his hands full on race day, but a points finish would be a lot to ask.

Objectives: Score a point.

Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais © LAT

Toro Rosso

By starting the season with an evolution on last year's car, Toro Rosso are gambling on the reliability of others in order to score points early. This is particularly likely to pay off in difficult circumstances - like a rain impacted weekend - where others don't get enough time to set their cars up, but the gamble seems unlikely to pay dividends in Australia.

The weekend ahead, though warm, looks like ideal racing conditions. Toro Rosso have a half way decent package and the pace to run with the midfield, but they are going to need several retirements from the teams in front of them before it will lead to points.

14. Sebastian Bourdais: after dominating in Champ Car, it must come as something of a shock to Bourdais to discover how little difference the driver can make when his car is off the pace. His best consolation is that he is getting used to racing with the team ahead of their introduction of the new car later in the year. Although a more experienced racer than his teammate, Bourdais is new to the outfit and this particular sport, so his real goal must be to be the faster of the two... for this weekend, the hidden ace might be greater experience of rolling starts, which would be handy coming out of any safety car period.

15. Sebastian Vettel: talented and clearly capable of big things, Vettel will be starting the season by looking to contain his Champ Car champion teammate: even if the car is not capable of winning, it is a decent feat. Besides that, if there are points in the offing, his greater experience with the chassis and Formula One in particular could provide a chance to make the difference.

Objectives: Score points.

Honda

It seems that winter was better than the dismal 2007 season for Honda only in as much as they know the new car is a complete change of direction. Testing has gone fairly awkwardly, with speed apparently as difficult to coax out of the new car as the old. On the positive side, that was without the 'Australia' aero package, which has to represent some sort of step forward.

Prospects for the whole season seem pretty reasonable in comparison: the car was designed with evolution in mind, and it is so far off the pace that it simply has to get better. Not exactly the ideal way to start the season, but decidedly better than being certain it will go no-where.

Specifically, looking at Melbourne, the team have to be considering this something of a test weekend, with a view to working on developing the set-up and handling of the car with their revised aero package, and getting it set up for the race in particular, in the hope that they can put together a well sustained performance on race day.

16. Jenson Button: after the frustrations of last year, though not out of the woods, the Briton appears hopeful that this season will see the team moving forward again. Even when the performance of the car is dire, he always puts in 100% and should work hard all weekend - though it is difficult to see it leading to points.

17. Rubens Barrichello: having struggled with a car that did not suit his style last year, the new one might at least offer him the chance to regularly challenge his teammate. The Brazilian has shown himself capable of scoring points in almost any machine, so a return to form is in order.

Objectives: Race with the midfield.

Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato © LAT

Super Aguri

With a deal announced that secures the team's finances for the year - even if it races questions over ownership and future management - it is finally certain that Super Aguri will make the grid and take part in the championship this year.

The team have only managed a couple of tests this year, so it is as well they are not starting the year with a completely new car; getting up to speed with a new chassis takes time. Despite showing a talent for improving from a basic car, the budget and testing limitations have been all too clear, so it would be no surprised to see the outfit fighting to stay off the back of the grid, which is a stark contrast to the first race last year, where Sato made it into the top ten in qualifying!

On the positive side, Honda are still struggling to get everything together; should they have trouble getting the car dialled in, Super Aguri might again be able to trouble their parent outfit.

18. Takuma Sato: there is little the Japanese can do until the revised budget starts to make itself felt in development. The car is actually capable of decent speed, but maintaining it for a race distance is going to be the trick; perhaps a target of Q2 in qualifying, but race day must be about preserving places.

19. Anthony Davidson: oft times as quick as Sato, Davidson must also be looking to wring the neck of the car in qualifying in order to set a decent time, and gain places that can be defended.

Objectives: Beat Honda!

Force India

With their new car finally on the track, Force India are rather looking to show that their change of ownership is not going to see them going backwards. Super Aguri may benefit from the backing of Honda, but the former have barely been testing, whilst the latter have shown unimpressive form almost every time they took to the track.

Tech chief Mike Gascoyne is playing the two-car game again this year, aiming to start the year with a well tested evolution of the previous year's challenger, followed up mid-season with a significant step forwards. It does mean that reliability and set-up issues should be the least of the team's worries, as they know well what they are working with, but outright performance is the compromise.

At this first outing, unless Honda's private test with new aerodynamics have given that outfit a significant step forwards, this must be considered one of the best chances Force India will have this year to show well. Finishing in the points is a stretch of the imagination, but certainly bearding Honda and Super Aguri is on the cards...

20. Adrian Sutil: heading into his second season, Sutil will have to work hard if he is to live up to the expectations that are now on him: the German has to improve reliability, without compromising speed. If he gels with his more experienced teammate, this could be a breakout year for the youngster.

21. Giancarlo Fisichella: the strangest thing about Fisichella is that he tends to absolutely shine when everything is stacked up against him. Back with a small team, the Italian might again find the drive that made him stand out when Benetton had a terrible year, or when he drove for Force India in its previous incarnation as Jordan - when he scored his first win...

Objectives: Beat Super Aguri. And Honda if they are vulnerable!

Heikki Kovalainen © LAT

McLaren

There is no doubt that McLaren remain a force to be reckoned with, and perhaps arrive in Melbourne with the outright fastest car, though Ferrari remain favoured over the full race distance.

Turning that pace into a race win and maximum points has to be the goal for the weekend. The midfield is looking tight behind the leading duo, so a pit strategy that avoids traffic is likely to be the story of the day. Should they be playing the team game properly, it is likely that one of the drivers will be on notably lighter fuel in qualifying, in order to get away at the front, whilst the other is on a heavier load and making the most of the Ferraris being bottled up.

Then again, it seems more likely that neither driver will volunteer for a role that will probably result in a fourth place finish.

22. Lewis Hamilton: after a stunning debut season, Hamilton has to be preferred over his teammate for the first few races, if only due to his extra experience with the team. In competing against Ferrari, it is possible that they may expose one of his flaws from last season - namely, the tendency to have a weaker middle stint. Should he be able to maintain pace throughout the race, then at least a podium should be on the cards...

23. Heikki Kovalainen: despite a slow start to last season, Kovalainen finished strongly with Renault and might prove to an inspired choice for McLaren. Certainly, he has more than enough ability to win the race, and will have no qualms in handily thrashing Lewis, should he have an off day. Despite having less experience with the team, the Finn has the equipment and skills to win, and should at least be expecting a podium finish.

Objectives: Win the race.