Xinhua News Agency, Sydney, March 13th: who will get the opening ceremony of Formula One new season?
Xinhua News Agency reporter Hao Yalin
The opening match of Formula One (F1) in 2019 season Australian Grand Prix will be held in Melbourne this weekend, and 20 top drivers will compete for Albert Park circuit. Who will get the start of the new season? What new regulations and new technologies will appear in F1 this year?
Point 1: Vettel or Hamilton?
The biggest attraction of Melbourne station is undoubtedly the contest between Ferrari’s defending champion Vettel and Mercedes fleet of Mercedes-Benz Hamilton.
32-year-old Vettel won the annual Driver Championship four times, and also maintained the record of the youngest pole driver, champion and defending champion in Formula One. Hamilton held the five annual Driver Championship and tied the record of Argentina’s legendary driver fan Jiao, second only to the seven-time German car King Schumacher.
In the two seasons of 2017 and 2018, Vettel defeated Hamilton twice in the Melbourne race and won the championship, but also defeated the other side twice in the competition for the annual Driver Championship. In particular, the failure of the 2018 season made Vettel watch Hamilton surpass himself to win the fifth championship.
This year, it is Vettel’s first stop of the season, “the Treble”, or Hamilton’s shame before the snow, which is bound to be another match with sparks.
Highlight 2: the fastest lap bonus points return to the track
according to the official website of the Australian Grand Prix, F1 in 2019 season will introduce the fastest lap bonus points again. This regulation has been approved by the World Motor Sports Council and F1 committee recently and will be implemented at Melbourne station.
According to this regulation, both the driver who runs the fastest lap speed and his team will get extra bonus points. However, it must be a driver who runs into the top ten at the end of the race to be eligible for this point. Previously, F1 had implemented this regulation from 1950 to 1959. Ross Brown, head of F1 competition, said that reintroducing this regulation is not only a tribute to tradition, but also a choice made from the perspective of fans, which helps to enhance the visibility of the competition.
“How many times have we heard drivers asking the team who has the fastest speed on the radio? Now, this not only means record and honor, but also has practical significance and makes the final stage of the competition more interesting. This will also remind us not to forget that the tradition of this sport is to go forward bravely.” Brown said.
Highlight 3: new changes and black technologies have appeared one after another
this year’s F1 stadium will also usher in some new changes. In terms of racing, the vehicle shape will be more concise, and the wider and higher front and rear wings will better reduce the resistance and facilitate overtaking. At the same time, all cars must be equipped with two taillights so that the rear cars can see the front cars clearly in bad weather. These lights will continue to flash when the driver charges the battery.
In terms of drivers, the weight of drivers will be calculated separately from the weight of the car this year, instead of being bound together as before. The minimum weight of the car has also increased, which must be more than 740 kilograms. Under such regulations, the tall and strong body shape of some drivers will not be a disadvantage, while the underweight drivers will find ways to gain weight for their own racing cars.
In addition, biometric gloves that can monitor human body information at any time and high-strength helmets with bullet-proof and energy absorption functions will also be activated in the new season, providing better safety guarantee for drivers.