Australia’s leading international student news website
Meld
Meld

Fast cars, intense action: The 2013 Australian Grand Prix

Ally Low

Fri Mar 15 2013

The 2013 Australian Grand Prix

THIS Sunday, the tortured shrieks of more than twenty 2.4 litre V8 engines will reverberate around Melbourne’s Albert Park as part of the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. Ally Low explores the adventures of driving in the fast lane. 

The 2013 Australian Grand Prix is just round the corner, and with 22 drivers in their Formula One cars on the starting grid, it promises to be quite the spectacle.

Right from when the five starting lights go out signaling the beginning of the 58-lap race, these daredevils will battle each other for track position around the 5.303 km Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park by pushing their vehicles – and themselves – to the limit.

Photo: schumachergirl1956 via Flickr

Photo: schumachergirl1956 via Flickr

The Formula One cars developed in years past were technological marvels of their time and this year’s vehicles are no different. They are capable of lightning acceleration (0 to 160 km/h in no more than five seconds), speeds of up to 300 km/h and decelerating from their respective top speeds to a crawl in just a few seconds.

Operating under such breakneck conditions, the Formula One drivers will need to make split-second decisions and react almost instantaneously to avoid accidents, which may lead to injuries or worse, fatalities. Also, when rapidly accelerating, decelerating and navigating corners, the drivers endure an extremely punishing g-force of up to 8 g. That is significantly more than the 3 g astronauts experience in their space shuttle during liftoff.

Spicing up this year’s Australian Grand Prix are four former Formula One World Drivers’ Champions Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, as well as defending champion Sebastian Vettel in the starting lineup. However, they will have to contend with fired up veteran driver and local favourite Australian Mark Webber as he attempts to finally win his home race. The other Australian on the grid is 23-year-old Daniel Ricciardo.

For more information about the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, visit the official website.

Comments