2022 Australian Grand Prix

The **2022 Australian Grand Prix** was a Formula 1.5 motor race that was held on 10 April 2022 in Melbourne, Victoria. It was contested at the Albert Park Circuit and was the third round of the 2022 Formula 1.5 World Championship.

It was the 85th race in the combined history of the Australian Grand Prix, which dates back to the 100 Miles Road Race of 1928, as well as the 25th time the event had been held at the Albert Park circuit and the 36th time the Australian Grand Prix has been a part of the Formula 1.5 World Championship. It was the first Australian Grand Prix since 2019, with the 2020 edition having been cancelled hours before the first practice session was due to begin amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 edition was first postponed and later cancelled due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The 2022 edition set a new attendance record at the circuit for the weekend with 499,144 attending it, making it the most attended sporting event ever in Melbourne.

## Background

### Jewellery

Prior to the weekend, drivers were reminded by one of the two race directors, Eduardo Freitas, who was not appointed for this Grand Prix, that they are prohibited by the FIA's International Sporting Code from wearing jewellery when inside their cars, as it could cause safety issues, particularly if there is a fire when drivers are trying to extract themselves from their cars. This reminder came after drivers were spotted wearing jewellery more frequently during recent Grand Prix weekends. Potential breaches of the rules in this regard could result in fines.

### Circuit Changes

The circuit underwent several signficant revisions in the months before the Grand Prix, which were the first and most significant changes since the inaugural 1996 Australian Grand Prix, including the first track resurfacing since then. Drivers were consulted on the planned changes. Turns 9 and 10 were completely redesigned; where they formed a right–left chicane with a heavy braking zone on the approach, the redesign saw them become a much faster right–left combination. This was done to raise the approach speed for turns 11 and 12. Several other corners were reprofiled to encourage overtaking, most notably turn 13, which was widened to create additional racing lines. Positive camber was also added to allow drivers to carry more speed through the corner. The main straight and pit lane were also redesigned, with the pit lane wall moved two metres closer to the circuit so that the edge of the circuit sat directly next to the wall.

The pit-lane change was made in response to then-Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo's opening-lap accident in 2019. Ricciardo ran wide at the start, crossing onto the grassy verge and hitting an unsighted culvert, which destroyed his front wing and the undertray of the car, forcing him to retire. As a result of the changes, race organisers applied to the FIA to raise the pit lane speed limit from 60 km/h (37.28 mph) to 80 km/h (49.71 mph). Such a change was significant, as the Formula One pits sit next to the support paddock and a pit stop would take less of a time penalty for drivers. These changes had originally been planned to be made after the race; however, the postponement allowed event organisers to make the changes in advance of the race. Further changes, such as resurfacing the circuit with a tarmac compound designed to wear tyres out, were planned to take place after the 2021 edition, which was postponed from March to November, before being cancelled and done later for the 2022 event. In addition, a fourth DRS zone was added to the redesigned track, before being removed for safety reasons ahead of the third practice session, after Alpine's Fernando Alonso in particular, who gained from its removal, complained about potential safety issues during the Saturday's drivers' briefing.

### Championship Standings before the race

Esteban Ocon was the Drivers' Championship leader after the previous weekend's second round, with three points separating him from Kevin Magnussen and a further 18 points from Valtteri Bottas. In the Constructors' Championship, Alpine led Haas by 7 points and Alfa Romeo by a further six.

### Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel, who was replaced by Nico Hülkenberg in the first two races due to coronavirus, made his season debut.

### Tyre Choice

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C2, C3, and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event. It was the first event since the 2018 Russian Grand Prix that non-consecutive tyres were used.

### Penalties

Williams' Alexander Albon carried a three-place grid penalty following a collision with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll at the previous round, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

## Practice

There were three practice sessions for the Grand Prix. The first two took place on Friday 8 April at 13:00 and 16:00 local time (UTC+10:00). McLaren's Lando Norris set the fastest lap in the first session ahead of Alpine's Esteban Ocon and teammate Daniel Ricciardo. In FP2 Alonso was fastest ahead of teammate Ocon and Bottas. The third practice session took place at 13:00 local time on 9 April, in which McLaren's Lando Norris set the fastest lap ahead of Alonso and Ricciardo. It was red flagged at one point, as both Aston Martin cars crashed.

## Qualifying

Qualifying took place at 16:00 local time on 9 April and lasted for one hour. Valtteri Bottas' streak of 103 consecutive Q3 appearances ended.

## Race

The race took place at 15:00 local time on 10 April and lasted 58 laps.

## Championship Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

  2
  1
  1
  1

Constructors' Championship standings

  3
  2
  1

## External Links

1. ↑  Alexander Albon qualified 10th, but he was disqualified because the required one-litre fuel sample could not be extracted from his car during post-qualifying scrutineering. He was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion. He also received a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Stroll at the previous round. The penalty made no difference as he was already disqualified.
2. ↑  Lance Stroll failed to set a time during qualifying due to a collision with Nicholas Latifi. He was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion. He also received a three-place grid penalty for causing the collision with Latifi. He gained a grid position following Albon's disqualification.
3. ↑  Lance Stroll received a five-second time penalty for weaving on the straight.