Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Albert Park, 2022

Rate the race: 2022 Australian Grand Prix

2022 Australian Grand Prix

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What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Australian Grand Prix.

RaceFans has held polls on every F1 race since 2008 to find out which fans thought of each round of the season.

Join in the latest poll and give your verdict on the race: 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

What were the best and worst moments of the race? What was the main thing you’ll remember about it? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2022 Australian Grand Prix out of 10

  • 10 (2%)
  • 9 (4%)
  • 8 (19%)
  • 7 (30%)
  • 6 (22%)
  • 5 (12%)
  • 4 (6%)
  • 3 (1%)
  • 2 (0%)
  • 1 (2%)

Total Voters: 202

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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44 comments on “Rate the race: 2022 Australian Grand Prix”

  1. OK race, not massively better than previous Melbourne standards.

    1. Yeah, wouldn’t say the track changes did much to improve the racing here really. Maybe that 4th DRS zone would have helped, but then, when you design a track change to work with so many DRS zones, that already shows things aren’t working as they should really.

    2. Indeed @jerejj; that fourth DRS zone might have added more dynamics (much as I don’t like the idea), rather than it being about (not) making mistakes, strategy, luck and lack of it; I felt a 6 was maybe a bit to low so went for a 7/10, but really a 6,5 I guess.

      Not sure those track changes were worth it then.

      1. @bosyber I think keeping the DRS zone between Turns 8/9 probably would have ended up with overtaking been a bit too easy as when I was watching some of the OnBoards through the race the slipstream alone was drawing cars right upto the back of the car ahead (And at times a bit alongside) going into Turn 9 which is good natural racing. Possibilities to overtake that aren’t a push of a button guarantee.

        With DRS on top of that I think we’d have just been seeing cars breezing past too easily well before getting anywhere near T9. I think what we ended up with was more preferable than boring push of a button highway passes.

        1. Yeah, quite possibly true @roger-ayles, not convinced it is right, but they clearly designed the changes with that zone in, so taking it out only helps show that maybe the redesign wasn’t actually all that useful then.

    3. You either started watching f1 yesterday or you have a short memory. I remember Lewis Hamilton struggling to follow Verstappen in a far inferior car and action-less GPs since 2017. Today there was much more action from P3 backwards.

    4. The changes to the track added nothing. Having the chicane might have actually aided in overtaking, like how last turn set up a lot of overtakes. I see the changes as neutral. Following is still not 100% solved and on a street track it was noticeable, graining and overheating didn’t help but the simple fact that we saw a fantastic real overtake should make this the top race of the season thus far. Perez on Hamilton was superb. The race for the lead was not there though personally I value real racing more, freebie drs passes are not my thing, and they too are still a problem.

  2. Very average race
    6/10

  3. Neither the new cars nor the track changes seemed to improve the racing much here. Lots of DRS trains out there.

    1. Exactly. I think the race was fine but seems as though the rating reflects a matter of taste more than the quality of the racing.

  4. A 7/10 f, engaging but nothing spectacular.

  5. Usual negativity here from everyone but the scores are fair. The new cars and new track DEFINITELY made a difference, both made it ‘better’, just not utterly spectacular, and that’s how most races will probably turn out and it’s still a good thing.

    Totally agree it was in the 6/7 range.

    1. Agree about the track l managed to view from most apexes over the 3 days and cars were carrying a LOT more speed than pre covid

  6. 6. Not great but a bit more enjoyable than previous three Australian GPs. Albon got a point with the worst car of grid.

  7. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
    10th April 2022, 7:52

    Not great, certainly not compared to the other two races of this season

  8. Gets a 7/10 from me.

    The new cars been able to run closer allowed for some closer racing & battling so it was better than some of the more recent races here from that perspective. Circuit changes were better than I thought although T1 did seem a bit less of a challenge than it the past (Less cars missing the apex & running a bit wide for example) but overall not bad.

    My biggest problem…. Or I guess frustration/disappointment would be a better way to put it is that they are still too reliant on DRS which itself also seemed to work very inconsistently. A few cases where it was a bit too powerful, Others where it didn’t seem to be doing anything & it also seems that when you get a DRS train form it’s even harder for those in it to do anything than it was before.

    Was also disappointing that the medium tyres seemed to start to grain quite easily if you started to push them which was something i’m not sure helped the racing. And also disappointing that we were back to 9-10 years with drivers been told not to fight in order to manage the tyres.

  9. 6.

    Still difficult to overtake. Norris and Gasly’s struggle to overtake Magnussen and Stroll who were on older tyres / slower cars was clearly evident. They seemed closer than previous years, but making the move was just as difficult as previous years.

  10. It was fun I thought maybe a 7.

    Was still times where the Dumb Racing System ruined things by producing some boringly easy push of a button highway passes but they were at least not too many at least.

    With cars able to get closer through corners this year i think it may have been better if the old turns 9/10 chicane was still to give us another good braking zone.

  11. A perfect 10, being back at OZ is just enough.

  12. It was a 7/10 race.
    Good: Leclerc’s grand slam, Mercedes double points, Mclaren double points, Williams point, Perez overtakes
    Bad: Sainz under pressure, Verstappen second DNF, Alonso and Magnussen did not get the medium tyres to work in the second stint

  13. Until they work out a way to extend braking zones (materials / disc diameter) and / or increase tyre deg to make 2 stops viable (change tarmac compound in a few corners) and / or ruduce pit stop times (increse speed limit/ decrease pit lanes) this is about what you will get.

    The main problem is the braking zones are still so short there is almost no value return in “sending one”.

    1. Reducing downforce would be the most efficient way to lengthen braking zones, @bob2.
      Would also come with a host of other benefits, too.

      They don’t have to change the tyres to make 2 stops happen. They could just mandate 2 stops minimum.
      Which, again, comes with other benefits.

  14. 8. Mostly for the final result.

    Wow, the hype is real! The car looked like a winner to me from day-1, but now we have the proof. They were right compromising to a certain extent their 2020 and 2021 campaigns by concentrating a lot of their energy for the 2022 campaign, and the work was very good too.

    Incredile job by LEC, hope he gets the title, he’s such a great guy and good enough to deserve at least 1 champ.

    Poor showing by SAI, Ferrari OBVIOUSLY doing everything to keep him as a no.2: placed a brick under his acceleration pedal, thrown a banana peel on the track to make him to go off etc etc. I guess the team will go easy on him this time thanks to LEC win and because another RBR retired… otherwise SAI thrown away a lot of points.

    1. Ahah, what you said about the sainz sabotage is good!

  15. The usual Melbourne stinker, not materially improved from past cars or the original track layout.

    I hope Liberty’s lesson from today is to never have another season opener at this track.

    1. I have to agree. The location might have a certain attraction but it rarely delivers a good race. I would rate today a 5. Uneventful stuff.

  16. I’m an avid fan and an Aussie so I long for this race being one of few I can watch in daylight hours but I was a little disappointed. I’m normally not this attentive during the race when they are in the wee hours so I go with a 6. I think the camera work left a bit on the table also

  17. I prefer the old track and think it is time to rethink DRS rules. those drs trains were annoying to watch.

  18. Viewers missed out on proper scrap between Perez and the Mercedes ‘thanks’ to the DRS. Disappointing to see the FIA approve of Strolls move on Bottas. Can’t blame Gasly for being circumspect with the Canadian.

    A pretty standard Australian GP. The track has always been difficult to race at, and the changes haven’t done much about that it seems.

  19. I’ve gone for an 8. The midfield battle was intense, good to see Ferrari so good. Great to see the Mercedes engined teams recovering somewhat and Mercedes themselves within a small improvement of fighting Red Bull.
    Red Bull really need to get on top of reliability, and tyre degradation, fast. Another Newey design that’s far too fragile – it’s been his way for far too long.

    Loved seeing Williams in the mix, shame they missed the VSC opportunity… But it worked out OK for them.

  20. I thought the race was fine as there was quite a bit of action throughout the field foremost of the race.

  21. Was going to give it a 6 after watching trackside but now having watched the replay fast forwarding to the highlights, I’d go a 7. There were some pretty good battles, different strategies and some sensational passes (Sergio on Lewis in particular!)

  22. Coventry Climax
    10th April 2022, 13:08

    Complete waiste of time.
    First time in well over 40 years that I absolutely regret getting up in the middel of the night.
    Nothing but DRS passes.
    Don’t particularly like the new layout either. With both the hairpin and the Wall of Champions gone, they killed the only characteristics of significance that it had beforehand.

    1. Would you rather have no passing at all?

      Some people are never satisfied. Stay in bed next time please.

    2. What hairpin? What wall of champions? Are you confusing Albert Park with Montreal?

      1. Seems like that, unless there was a wall of champions in melbourne too, I heard though in the rule changes article there was a hairpin gone, not that I never noticed it before in melbourne.

        1. ever*

  23. Not the best one, especially compared to the races of the new season.
    Although, I agree, it was decent, and there were some good looking close duels.
    It was promising, that after the SC restart Verstappen had a quite good shot on overtaking Leclerc even without DRS. Although Leclerc’s restart was not good.
    For me a weak 8 or strong 7, because there were no big fights for the top placements.
    With a well nailed strategy for Alonso it is likely a 9 :D

    1. With a well nailed strategy for Alonso it is likely a 9 :D

      Another entry in Alonso’s scrapbook of virtual podiums (and WDC titles).

  24. 7. It was enjoyable but not really scintillating. I had expected more of a battle between Leclerc, Verstappen and Perez. Also disappointing that Hamilton couldn’t take on Russell at the end and that neither Mercedes driver could have a go at Perez, maybe just a fraction out of reach. Some good racing elsewhere but otherwise nothing outstanding.

  25. 5. As average as F1 can be.
    I wasn’t on board with the track changes, and they’ve totally met my expectations. Just made the track easier to drive (for other categories too, not just F1) and further pushed drivers into relying on DRS overtakes.

  26. 8. No big fight for victory. Cars looked spectacular, there were the usual drs passes but above all a few really nice real overtakes, no major tyre degredation, stoppages did not affect the race. Changes to the track just made things more dangerous and the track less challenging, the old chicane gives way to a straight that f1 cars can actually use but low speed parts can be of worth just look at the last 2 corners, these helped racing quite a lot. In terms of real racing this race was certainly better than the previous 2 though not perfect, we saw the effect of drs trains and some overtakes were a tad certain. Overall though as an advocate of real racing this was the best race of the season.

  27. I gave it a 7, not impressed by the drs passes, think drs needs to be gone.

  28. 7/10. Good and kept my interest but not great. Cars did seem to be able to follow closely but a lot of reliance on DRS.

    Jury is out in the track changes. Not sure if they improved things significantly.

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