Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix circuit is undergoing its biggest transformation since joining the Formula 1 calendar in 1996, with organisers hoping the changes will enable more overtaking opportunities and promote faster and more competitive racing at the Australian venue.

In total seven corners at the circuit are being modified and two removed entirely ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on November 19-21, with the changes predicted to make lap times over five seconds faster and average speeds up around 15km/h.

The most obvious change to the parkland circuit will be the removal of the chicane at Turn 9 and 10 to create a sweeping right hander instead, as well as the possibility of an additional DRS zone. Meanwhile, there will also be a widening of the track at Turns 1, 3, 6, 13 and 15 – while Turns 13 and 15 are set to have their cambers altered to allow multiple racing lines.

The widening of the track at Turn 6, meanwhile, will increase speeds dramatically at that corner, up from a current minimum speed of around 149 km/h to 219 km/h.

As a result, the average qualifying lap time is expected to decrease by around 5 seconds, from 1m 21.0s to 1m 15.8s.

The move comes as the track is resurfaced for the first time in its 25-year stint on the Formula 1 calendar – with the organisers also taking the opportunity to add new locations for corporate suites, grandstands, and general admission fan zones. There will be ecological benefits to the changes too, with a 4,000m2 increase in parkland around Albert Park’s lake, as well as improved infrastructure for cycling.

One person who was cheering on the changes was local hero Daniel Ricciardo – the McLaren driver predicting that while the on-track action should be improved in 2021, racing Formula 1’s new generation of cars at the track in 2022 would be even more special.

“These changes are in the direction of what we want,” said Ricciardo. “Better races, more battles – the changes are going to push us towards that.

“With these [2021] cars the changes should help a lot, but from 2022, if next year promises everything it does with being able to follow the car in front and the racing to be enhanced, then coming to a circuit like Albert Park with these changes should make a pretty amazing spectacle.

“I see all of these changes as beneficial for Sunday and we can have some fun on the brakes. It’ll make the racing closer, I’m pretty confident of that.”

Daniel Ricciardo has been promised a drive in Dale Earnhardt’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo car if he claims a podium finish with McLaren.

The Chevrolet stock car, which is currently owned by McLaren CEO Zak Brown, took Earnhardt to two NASCAR Cup Series wins 37 years ago.

Ricciardo has often named Earnhardt as his racing hero, adopting the NASCAR driver’s famous number three as his race number in Formula 1.

Prior to the start of the 2021 season, Ricciardo joked with the media, stating he could form a bet with Brown regarding a podium finish, with one of Brown’s cars on the line.

“I know he’s got a pretty good car collection,” Ricciardo said. “So maybe we could just bet one of his cars or something.”

However, it now seems that Brown has taken Ricciardo up on his comment, posting on social media that “the drive is all yours” if he gets a podium.

At his maiden race for McLaren last Sunday in Bahrain, the Australian claimed seventh place at the chequered flag, running with floor damage for much of the event.

Next on the Formula 1 2021 calendar is a trip to Imola, which is one of two venues (along with the Nurburgring) where Ricciardo reached the top three in 2020 during his final season with Renault.

“Guess how much the hot lap costs,” one of my fellow media members, adventure writer Jim Clash from Forbes, asked me at a dinner hosted by Formula One’s tire manufacturer, Pirelli. He was referring to the single lap out in a supercar we’d be scheduled to partake in during the weekend.

“I don’t know,” I mused. “Two thousand dollars?”

He pointed his finger up at the ceiling. “Higher.”

“$5,000?”

“Higher.”

“Jesus Christ… $10,000?”

He shook his head and pointed up at the ceiling again.

“No way,” I said in disbelief. “How much is it?”

The answer, my friends, is $15,000.

Let that sink in for a second. Think about all the things a normal human being could do with $15,000. That could be a year’s worth of rent money. That’s 1,875 Big Mac meals at a McDonald’s in New York. You could buy a decent used car with that money. Depending on where you live, that could possibly even be a down payment on a house. You could buy 75 General Admission tickets to the United States Grand Prix with that kind of money. And some people just toss that much money around for one lap around a race track.

I am very well aware that F1 is just one big huge obscene display of wealth. But, my god. Actually being a part of that very expensive circus—even just for one weekend as a guest—really forced me to realize just how rich people have to be to just buy this shit outright. It was a massive change of perspective from what I’m used to out in general admission. What in the name of high octane fuel could be so good about a single lap that it could be worth a year of my graduate school tuition?

On Sunday, just two hours before the US Grand Prix, I strapped on my borrowed helmet and climbed into a beautiful navy blue McLaren 600LT piloted by British racer Duncan Tappy. And I’ll be honest. It was really fucking cool.

I’ve been lucky enough to win or talk my way into a few hot laps before, but it’s never been anything wild. I’ve been driven around Watkins Glen International in a Honda Accord and around COTA in Mazda MX-5. And they were fast, but they were also careful.

But when Pirelli sent the McLarens out, my car was battling with someone else’s. I’ll admit that I was not paying attention to speeds—I was totally focused on the fact that Tappy was slip-streaming and passing (and being passed by) the aqua blue McLaren that started behind us. There were plenty of times where I totally expected to get a little nudge from the other driver—but somehow, the cars didn’t touch.

Yes. I have to admit: It was neat. It far exceeded the standard hot lap experience that the Average Joe could nab at an IndyCar or IMSA weekend.

But was it worth $15,000? Hell no.

I would happily pay a couple hundred bucks for a ride around COTA in a McLaren (well, I would not happily pay hundreds of dollars for a two-minute long experience of anything ever, but you get my point; it would be a more reasonable amount).

I’ll be generous; let’s say this ride took three minutes. That’s still more than $80 a second! That is, frankly, horrifying. It would probably take longer to literally burn a $100 bill than it would to make a lap around COTA.

I’m not complaining about having been offered such a neat opportunity. It was a very awesome, very memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am honored to have in the memory banks.

But it was also a pretty heavy-handed reality check to remind you that Formula One is not a sport designed to be accessible to regular people. Once the exhilaration of a really fun lap melted away, I was left with this feeling that I was not only entirely out of my depth but that I just did not belong in this ultra-exclusive world.

I love going to F1 events, and I love helping people find ways to do it on a budget—but when I stepped out of a fancy-pants McLaren after a lap that I would have had to spend several long months working to afford, I realized that this… is not my world. The other people climbing out of their own cars—a few fellow journalists but mostly just really, grossly rich people—probably wouldn’t have even bothered to chat with me if I’d just been some fan plucked off the Turn 1 hill.

Formula One is not accessible. I’ve been to the US GP as a fan with General Admission tickets four times, and I always thought I was having a better-than-normal experience because I would show up to autograph sessions and occasionally get to say hello to a driver. Even that is an abnormal experience for most race-going fans. And, hell, having the means to actually show up to a race in and of itself is very fucking abnormal.

Honestly, accessibility matters. Most people in the world are not grossly, disgustingly rich, and if you want more people to show up at races or even watch your product on TV, you kind of need to appeal to more than just the one percent. The $200 you’d spend on just a General Admission ticket at COTA could buy you a ticket, a paddock pass, parking, and a snack during the IndyCar race at the same track. Instead of sitting in the grass for three days, you can actually get up close and see some cars.

Yes, most people know what they’re getting into with F1. It’s elite as hell. I know that Icertainly didn’t ever expect I’d ever be able to afford even a grandstand seat when I started watching F1. At the same time, though, it’s the sell-out crowds showing up to the race that keep F1 relevant enough to keep putting on races, not the people who can drop tens of thousands of dollars at the drop of a hat for an incredibly quick car ride. But with skyrocketing ticket prices and minuscule amounts of access to anyone who isn’t sitting on a pile of cash, more average fans can end up feeling unimportant.

It’s a frustrating paradox, and it didn’t really sink in until that hot lap. F1 needs its Average Joe fans, but it also doesn’t really value any of them.
But, I mean, if anyone ever offers you a free Pirelli hot lap, by all means get out there and take it. Pondering the implications of class and status can always come later.

After losing his last full-time F1 drive with Renault at the end of the 2019 season, Hulkenberg took part in three events for the Aston team that was then known as Racing Point during the last campaign on the occasions when its regular drivers were unable to race after contracting COVID-19.

Hulkenberg entered the two races at Silverstone in place of Sergio Perez after he tested positive for COVID on the eve of the British GP weekend, although Hulkenberg did not start the race after a bolt in his car’s clutch sheared ahead of the start. He would go on to take seventh from a sensational third on the grid, in the subsequent 70th Anniversary GP.

He then stood in for Lance Stroll in the Eifel GP after the Canadian felt unwell during practice – he was also only diagnosed with COVID after leaving the event at the Nurburgring – and Hulkenberg finished eighth after only taking part in qualifying and the race.

“First of all, it’s great to get this deal signed up with plenty of notice – last year, I didn’t have quite as much time to prepare before jumping in the car,” said Hulkenberg, who raced for the squad in its Force India guise in 2012 and between 2014-2016.

“I’m really pleased to once again work with this team – with whom I have driven many times during my career.

“Obviously, I’m hoping that Sebastian [Vettel, who has replaced Perez for 2021 at the rebranded Aston squad] and Lance enjoy uninterrupted seasons this year, but the team knows it can rely on me to step in and do an excellent job, and I’m fully prepared to take on that challenge.

“It will also be interesting to help develop the team through the season, and I’m really looking forward to pulling great lap-times out of my arm sleeve.”

Aston Martin team principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer added: “We’re delighted to be able to welcome Nico back to the team in an official capacity, as reserve and development driver for [the] Aston Martin Formula 1 team.

“In these difficult times, the requirement for a capable and experienced reserve driver is especially important.

“Nico proved last year that he could jump in the car and perform superbly at a moment’s notice; now, with additional scope for preparation and integration, we know that we can rely on Nico to do an excellent job.”

Formula 1 is anxiously waiting an answer this week about whether the Canadian Grand Prix, scheduled for June 13, can go ahead. It is anticipated that if Montreal is canceled, the date will be given to Istanbul Park in Turkey.

Istanbul Park has become a handy go-to replacement venue for Formula 1. The circuit was not on the original schedule for 2020, but was added as races were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lewis Hamilton won the race in Istanbul on Nov. 15.

As for Canada, the Canadian race is largely funded by government money from federal, provincial and local levels. These provide around $10 million a year, with the Canadian government believed to pay $5 million, the Quebec province $4 million and the city of Montreal $1 million.

The rest of the money comes from private sources, notably the Tourisme Montréal organization, which is a non-profit entity with around 900 members that promote the city as a tourist destination. This is believed to provide $5 million, while Octane, the race promoter, raises the remaining money required by selling tickets, food and drink and raising money from partners and sponsors. The problem is that if there are no spectators, there is no reason for any of those involved to invest, and Octane cannot raise its share because it will have very limited revenues.

The Canadian media is reporting that Octane has asked the authorities for an additional $5 million in order to balance the books this year, although the promoter is not saying anything publicly. The problem is that with the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has plenty of other uses for government money.

The Formula 1 Group in London is refusing to reduce the contracted fees, which is not surprising given the losses made last year and the fact that going to Istanbul can provide revenue with lower costs involved.

But that is only part of the problem.

In order for F1 to go to Montreal in 2021, the government will need to adapt its quarantine rules because there is no time in the F1 calendar for a 14-day quarantine as the teams will be racing in Baku on June 6, without spectators, and should then be in Montreal a week later. The Canadian government has made concessions to foreign players in the National Hockey League, but this has still meant that they must spend seven days in isolation and then another seven mixing only with their teammates. That isn’t going to work for Formula 1 and so Canada must decide whether it is willing to hold the event with around 2,000 people arriving from Azerbaijan and leaving again seven days later. That would set a precedent that would upset other groups in Canada wanting to hold events.

Even if a system can be agreed to allow travel in and out of Montreal to happen without lengthy quarantines involved, it is impossible for there to be spectators with the current restrictions in Canada and that means that money must be found if the race is to go ahead.

The Canadian Grand Prix is remarkable in that the city of Montreal attracts far more visitors during the race weekend than actually attend the race. This is because the race marks the start of the short Canadian summer and so it has long been a huge party, with the race being at the center of activities but far more going on, including a large number of graduation ceremonies that happen in the city’s educational establishments in the same period.

The entire city becomes takes on a festival atmosphere and revenues rise significantly, the hotels are filled to capacity and room rates go through the roof, not only because of the demand but also because of a special tax on rooms that weekend to help raise the money to pay for the race.

If the event is canceled for another year, it is not the end of the world as the Montreal contract runs until 2029 and the cancellation can be treated as force majeure.

"The important thing for me is that the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal stays here,” Montreal’s mayor Valérie Plante told the La Presse newspaper. "If it wasn't possible for this year, it absolutely has to be here next year, because we care. But with taxpayers' money, you have to make sure it's spent the right way. We are in discussions with the Government of Quebec and the federal government to see what the situation is. But we want the Montreal Grand Prix to take place in Montreal."

Many of those who would be attending in 2021 bought tickets for the 2020 race. This was canceled and although some are happy to use the tickets this year others have requested refunds and there are a number of reports suggesting that Octane has not thus far refunded all the ticket-holders don’t want to attend the 2021 race.

A decision is expected by April 16.