A Lap Of Albert Park With Montoya

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A lap of Albert Park with Montoya

This Sunday, the engines will roar again, but this time in Australia at Albert Park. We get in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 with Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who takes us for a lap at Albert Park Circuit.

Juan Pablo Montoya

"Powering up through the gears along the start-finish you reach some 305km/h in seventh gear, before braking hard for the right-left weave of turns one and two. Your speed drops to 140km/h in second gear and then increases through the left weave to some 200km/h.

You apply the throttle on the exit for the Aughtie Drive straight, reaching some 300km/h in sixth on the approach to the tight right of turn three, which is taken at 80km/h in second gear, which marks the hardest breaking point on the track as you pull some -3.5G.

This is again immediately followed by turn four, a sharp left hander which flicks you onto the short Whitford straight. Power on, you reach 240km/h in fifth gear along the straight before dabbing the brakes for the long, flowing right hander of turn five, which sees your speed decrease only slightly to 230km/h in fourth gear. It is one of those corners that you take flat in qualifying.

You need to maintain as much speed as possible through this sequence of bends to ensure you have a good exit as you power down the short straight that takes you to the tight right of turn six, reaching 285km/h in sixth, before braking for the second gear right hander which is taken at 120km/h.

Exiting, you take it completely flat through the sweeping right of the Lauda curve, reaching some 285km/h in sixth gear on the approach to Clark. This sharp right is negotiated at 100km/h in second gear. Hard on the throttle, another long, sweeping bend follows. You need to accelerate through the left of turn ten you as your speed increases to some 294km/h in sixth gear, before the fast left-right chicane of eleven and twelve.

Maintaining fifth gear through this section of the track, with your speed not dropping below 210km/h, you keep on the throttle as you exit along the short straight that leads to Ascari. Another hard braking point, your speed drops from 300km/h in sixth gear to 125km/h in second for the tight right hander. A short straight leads to Stewart, another right hander, which is taken at 180km/h in third gear.

Again a short burst of acceleration on the approach to the 90-degree right of Prost, you reach 235km/h in fourth before braking hard for the final two corners. The first of which is a tight left hander and is negotiated in first gear at 70km/h. On the exit, you apply throttle momentarily and shortshift into third gear for the last bumpy right hander that flicks you back onto the start finish straight to begin another lap."