The Albert Park Circuit is known as a track that is unforgiving. On the semi-public streets in the picturesque green area, the walls are close to the ideal line. And where there is a bit of space, gravel beds and high curbs lie in wait for overly optimistic pilots.
Even world champion Max Verstappen was among the victims on Friday. The Dutchman rumbled violently over the curbs at the exit of turn ten and damaged his underbody. It also tore the mounting brackets out of the monocoque. Even the two and a half hour lunch break wasn’t quite enough to repair the damage. Verstappen lost 22 minutes in the second training session.
Aston Martin also lost an underbody. At the same point as Verstappen, Fernando Alonso was even a bit more optimistic. The veteran drove through the gravel well behind the curbs and damaged the underside of his company car in the process. At least he was able to prevent the gang from breaking in.
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Max Verstappen was only able to start the second session 22 minutes late.
World champion gone astray
A similar fate also befell the third world champion in the field, Lewis Hamilton. The trip through the meadow at the end of the home straight in the first training session ended well. In the second practice session, the carbon parts flew when the Silver Arrow touched down on the curb at Turn 10. Hamilton couldn’t set a reasonable time in his qualifying simulation and found himself in 18th place in the rankings.
The track hit Alex Albon the hardest. The Thai driver came a bit too far onto the Sausage curbs at the exit of Turn 7, was outflanked and then played ping-pong between the unprotected concrete walls. The suspension parts pushed into the monocoque. That means game over. With no chance of an overnight repair and no replacement chassis, one of the Williams drivers will have to watch on Saturday.
When asked why so many drivers left the track during training, Nico Hülkenberg made at least one assumption: “It was extremely gusty today. In addition, the wind changed direction in the middle of the first session.” What annoyed the drivers pleased the fans. The spectators in the sold-out stands saw a lot of action on Friday. We show you some impressions of the spectacle in the gallery.