**** 2007 Australian GP ****

[sameerrao]

Yeaahhhh Baby! The F1 racing season is on again. The wait has been painful for all the fans including me.

This season should be awesome due to so many drivers changing steeds, pesonnel changes, etc. Hopefully we will get a dynamite season like 2003, 2005 and 2006. Also hopefully Kimi will get his first WDC - there isn't a more deserving guy out there.

First a moment of silence for the absence of Michael Schumacher for the first time since 1991. It will a touch difficult to watch the first few races and not see the red helmet guiding the Ferrari aggressively to a pole or a victory. We miss you Michael! You are one the best of all time! Have a wonderful retirement! 8) 8) 8)

On to Australia:

Circuit info:

2006 Race Results
1 Fernando Alonso
2 Kimi Raikkonen
3 Ralf Schumacher
4 Nick Heidfeld
5 Giancarlo Fisichella
6 Jacques Villeneuve
7 Rubens Barrichello
8 David Coulthard

Melbourne has become a firm favourite of the Formula 1 fraternity since it took over from Adelaide as the home of the Australian Grand Prix in 1996.

The switch caused consternation, for Adelaide had been hugely popular as both a venue and a racetrack.

In its end-of-season position, it played host to two unforgettable championship climaxes: Nigel Mansell’s spectacular tyre blow-out in 1986 and Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill’s controversial clash in ’94.

For 1996 the race not only moved to Melbourne and a spectacular new lakeside track in Albert Park, but to the other end of the calendar, becoming the season opener.

Melbourne soon proved that it could match Adelaide for thrills and spills, as the inaugural race saw Jacques Villeneuve take pole position for his first GP, and ITV’s Martin Brundle escape a massive first-lap crash in which his Jordan flew into a terrifying sequence of barrel rolls.

As the first chance to see where the balance of power lies at the start of the new season, Melbourne is always eagerly awaited.

Its high-speed layout punctuated by chicanes and dusty surface often leads to unpredictable and dramatic races, and punishes the slightest mistake with a trip into one of the ever-present concrete walls.

The safety car traditionally gets a lot of mileage in Melbourne…

Weather forecast:

On Thursday sun gave way to cloud and a very quick shower, and the forecast is for more showers on Friday, with an ambient temperature peak of 23 degrees Celsius. Locals, however, are sceptical about rain as this part of Victoria has been very dry of late. Thereafter it will be partly cloudy on Saturday and Sunday, with respective temperatures of 23 and 22 degrees

Grid run down:
http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?T...al&PO_ID=38643

Thursday press conference: http://www.formula1.com/race/news/5771/770.html

I'll add more info tonight