Track talk with Robert Kubica - Australia
After the curtain-raiser at the Bahrain International Circuit almost two weeks ago, the Formula One teams travel Down Under for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. Renault F1 Team driver Robert Kubica talks us through the demands of racing on the street circuit of Melbourne.
Kubica: "I like street circuits in general so Albert Park is one of my favourite tracks. It’s also one of the best weekends of the year because the city really supports the race, which helps create a special atmosphere. I don’t usually have a problem with jet lag, but I always fly out a bit earlier than I do for European races to make sure I feel totally fresh for the weekend.
"It’s quite a demanding circuit because the track conditions are constantly changing across the weekend. On Friday the track is very green so you have to leave some safety margin because it’s easy to run wide and end up in the wall. You can go quicker and quicker with each run as the track rubbers in and by the end of practice your lap times can be as much as six seconds quicker than at the start of the session.
"The grip levels are quite poor, so the set-up priority is to work on drivability so that the car gives you confidence. The streets are also quite bumpy, especially the first chicane and the entrance to turn six, so braking stability is important. You also need a car that can ride the curbs well so that you can carry good speed through the medium speed corners.
"Overtaking isn’t easy because it’s so dirty off line. The best chance is into turn three if the car ahead of you gets a bad exit from the first chicane. Turn 13 is another opportunity, but because turn 12 is such a quick corner it’s hard to follow another car closely onto the straight before 13. Again you’re relying on the car ahead of you getting a bad exit.
"Turns 11 and 12 are the quickest corners of the lap. There are a few ways of approaching this high-speed chicane, but as always the secret is to carry as much speed as possible and not run too wide on the exit of 12. You need to use the curbs, but if you hit them too hard it upsets the car’s balance and hurts your speed. Get it right and you can find a lot of time; get it wrong and your lap time will really suffer."
Source Renault
