Motorsport News International
F1: Australian GP McLaren preview
alanp@Sun.COM (Alan Perry)
Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA
Fri Nov 10 12:00:36 EST 1995
Adelaide
10 - 12 November '95
The 17th and final round of the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship
will see the competitors invade the streets of Adelaide for the very
last time, as the Australian Grand Prix moves to Melbourne in 1996.
With both Drivers and Constructors titles now clinched, "The Grand
Finale", as the organisers call it, will provide many teams with the
opportunity to celebrate yet another great season of motor racing,
before they take a well-deserved break from their nomadic life until
next March.
For some teams however, including Marlboro McLaren Mercedes, much will
be at stake on Sunday afternoon and the partying will have to wait a
bit longer. Securing the team's position among the top four Formula
One Constructors will be Mika Hakkinen and Mark Blundell's main
objective for this race. On the strength of their Suzuka performances
and of Martin Brundle's third place in 1994, there is optimism among
the troops that the necessary tally of points can be gathered.
The twisty 3.778km-long circuit, which has hosted the Grand Prix since
1985, presents contracting and challenging features for both drivers
and their engineers; half a street section and half a purpose built
track running through parkland, it combines low speed corners with a
long fast straight, and a finely tuned downforce level will be needed
to get the optimum performance from the car in each section. For this
race, Marlboro McLaren Mercedes will again be running the upgraded
version of the Mercedes F0110 V10 engine, which was successfully used
at Suzuka.
Finally, the Australian Grand Prix will represent Mark Blundell's last
race for Marlboro McLaren Mercedes, and the team will bid an emotional
farewell to a driver who has endeared himself to all with his
determination, courage and good humour in all circumstances. A rostrum
finish on his final outing would be seen by many as just a reward for
his contribution to the team's efforts throughout the season - and no
doubt he will, as always, thrive to achieve just that.
All information courtesy of MNI - Motorsport News International
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