| From the start, cars
accelerate to 185 mph as they reach the Fangio Stand.
Flanked by the Fangio and Brabham Stands are two 45-degree
right- and left-handers – Turns 1 and 2. Turn 1 is the
hardest braking point in the circuit pulling -3.5 g. A
change down to 2nd gear sees the first turn taken at 70
mph before a short acceleration into Turn 2, which is
taken at 100 mph. Turn 2 and Turn 3 mark the bumpiest
parts of the circuit. From here the cars accelerate to 180
mph before braking hard again (-3.4g) towards a sharp
right-left S-bend, taking Turn 3 in 2nd gear at around 55
mph. Accelerating again the cars catapult out through Turn
4 at 80 mph, accelerating past the Whitford Stand in 5th
gear at 170 mph.
A short, sharp right-hander marks Turn 6 with cars
again braking hard (-3.0g) and slowing to 70 mph. The
circuit then loops round to the right, negotiating Turn 8
at 155 mph, and then past the Clark Stand at 175 mph. The
Fittipaldi Stand is at Turn 9 where cars brake hard again
(-3.3g) before setting off to a long, inner-loop curve
turning the cars left at a speed of 160 mph. They slow to
90 mph and swing right, past the Waite Stand and changing
up to 5th and 140 mph before passing the Hill Stand at 160
mph. Braking hard again (-3.5g) the cars change down to
3rd gear and enter the right-hand Turn 13 at 80 mph.
Accelerating to 100 mph in front of the Stewart Stand,
Turn 14, another right-hander, is taken in 3rd gear at 100
mph.
The Prost Stand marks the entrance to the most
difficult section of the circuit with the cars turning
through two sharp 90-degree turns, going first left (Turn
15) and then right (Turn 16). Cars approach Turn 15 at 130
mph, braking hard and changing down from 4th to 2nd to
negotiate the near hair-pin turn at 50 mph. Turn 16 is
less demanding but still requires 2nd gear with cars
accelerating in front of the Senna Stand from 80 mph on to
the finishing straight. The longest section of straight on
the circuit, cars can go flat out in 6th gear at 180 mph
as they flash across the Start-Finish line.
|
