Haas F1 Team Melbourne stats and facts 17.03.2018: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit • Total number of race laps: 58 • Complete race distance: 307.574 kilometers (191.118 miles) • Pit lane speed limit: 60 kph (37 mph

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit


•    Total number of race laps: 58

•    Complete race distance: 307.574 kilometers (191.118 miles)

•    Pit lane speed limit: 60 kph (37 mph)



•    This 5.303-kilometer (3.295-mile), 16-turn Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit has hosted Formula One since 1996, with last year’s Australian Grand Prix serving as the venue’s 22nd grand prix. However, this is the 34th Australian Grand Prix, with the inaugural Formula One race taking place in 1985 on the Adelaide Street Circuit, which was won by Keke Rosberg, father of 2016 Formula One champion Nico Rosberg.



•    Michael Schumacher holds the race lap record at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (1:24.125), set in 2004 with Scuderia Ferrari.



•    Lewis Hamilton holds the qualifying lap record at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (1:22.188), set last year with Mercedes in Q3.



•    The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit comprises public roads encircling Albert Park Lake, a man-made body of water just south of Melbourne’s central business district. The roads were rebuilt prior to Formula One’s debut at the track in 1996, but because the surface only sees racecars about once a year, grip is hard to come by, especially in the initial practice sessions. It’s a street circuit that behaves more like a natural road course.


•    DYK? Albert Park hosted races in the 1950s on a 5.03-kilometer (3.125-mile) configuration of the current circuit. During this time, however, the race ran in an anti-clockwise direction, as opposed to the current clockwise direction of the track’s layout.



•    During the course of the Australian Grand Prix, lows will range from 14-17 degrees Celsius (57-62 degrees Fahrenheit) to highs of 26-28 degrees Celsius (78-83 degrees Fahrenheit). Relative humidity ranges from 40 percent (comfortable) to 91 percent (very humid), with a dew point varying from 6 degrees Celsius/43 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) to 14 degrees Celsius/57 degrees Fahrenheit (comfortable).


 The dew point is rarely below 2 degrees Celsius/36 degrees Fahrenheit (dry) or above 17 degrees Celsius/63 degrees Fahrenheit (mildly humid). Typical wind speeds vary from 3-27 kph/2-17 mph (light air to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 43 kph/27 mph (strong breeze).



 •    Jan. 5: Haas VF-18 passes FIA-mandated crash test.

•    Jan. 11: Sea freight leaves for Australia.

•    Feb. 7: Grosjean has seat fitting.

•    Feb. 8: Magnussen has seat fitting.


•    Feb. 14: The VF-18 publicly debuts via a digital launch on the team’s social media platforms and website.


•    Feb. 18: At 21:53 CET, successful fire-up of the car’s engine – the Ferrari 062.



•    Feb. 20: Haas F1 Team sets up at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya for preseason testing.



•    Feb. 23: The Haas VF-18 turns its wheels for the first time at Barcelona with Grosjean at the helm. The installation lap around the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit comes during the team’s production day.



•    Feb. 26: First day of preseason testing at Barcelona. Grosjean completes 55 laps with a best time of 1:22.578.



•    Feb. 27: Magnussen takes wheel of the VF-18 for the first time in preseason testing at Barcelona. He completes 36 laps with a best time of 1:22.727.



•    March 7: Sea freight arrives at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.



•    March 8: In his final day of testing, Magnussen completes 153 laps and sets the second-fastest time of the day – a 1:18.360 on Pirelli P Zero Red supersoft tires, which when tire-corrected using Pirelli’s estimated delta times to the softest compounds, it brings Magnussen’s fast lap close to the unofficial track-record time of 1:17.182 set by Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on hypersofts.


•    March 9: Preseason testing at Barcelona ends. Grosjean earns his best time of the test – a 1:18.412 on Purple ultrasofts to put him fifth-fastest on the day. More importantly, Grosjean sets a new preseason testing benchmark for Haas F1 Team with 181 laps completed.

 Prior to this year’s test, the highest single-day lap tally of any Haas F1 Team driver during preseason testing was 119 laps by Grosjean, set exactly one year ago. Haas F1 Team wraps the test with a total of 695 laps (3,235.22  kilometers/2,010.57  miles) during the eight days of track time spread over 12 days (Feb. 26-March 1, March 6-9).



•    March 14: Magnussen in simulator.


•    March 15: Grosjean in simulator. Air freight packed up and sent to Australia.


•    March 18: Cars and equipment arrive at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.


 •    Pirelli is bringing the following three tire compounds to Australia:



o    P Zero Yellow soft – less grip, less wear (used for long-race stints)


§    This is one of the most frequently used tires in Pirelli’s range, as it strikes a balance between performance and durability, with the accent on performance. It is a very adaptable tire that can be used as the softest compound at a high-severity track as well as the hardest compound at a low-severity track or street circuit.




o    P Zero Red supersoft – more grip, medium wear (used for shorter-race stints and for initial portion of qualifying)


§    This is the third-softest tire in Pirelli’s range, and it is ideal for tight and twisting circuits when a high level of mechanical grip is needed. The supersofts warm up rapidly, which has made it a stalwart choice for qualifying. But with increased grip comes increased degradation.



o    P Zero Purple ultrasoft – highest amount of grip, highest amount of wear (used for qualifying and select race situations)


•    This is the second-softest tire in Pirelli’s lineup, with rapid warming and massive performance. However, because it is so soft, it has a relatively limited lifespan.


•    Two of the three available compounds must be used during the race. Teams are able to decide when they want to run which compound, adding an element of strategy to the race. A driver can also use all three sets of Pirelli tires in the race, if they so desire. (If there are wet track conditions, the Cinturato Blue full wet tire and the Cinturato Green intermediate tire will be made available.)



•    Pirelli provides each driver 13 sets of dry tires for the race weekend. Of those 13 sets, drivers and their teams can choose the specifications of 10 of those sets from the three compounds Pirelli selected. The remaining three sets are defined by Pirelli – two mandatory tire specifications for the race (one set of Yellow softs and one set of Red supersofts) and one mandatory specification for Q3 (one set of Purple ultrasofts). Haas F1 Team’s drivers have selected the following amounts:


o    Grosjean: one set of Yellow softs, four sets of Red supersofts and eight sets of Purple ultrasofts


o    Magnussen: two sets of Yellow softs, three sets of Red supersofts and eight sets of Purple ultrasofts





Mike Arning- photos Haas F1