While the F1 season won't start in Australia this year, F1 gamers know the misery of beginning their career mode with the tricky and narrow Albert Park circuit.
Well, now some changes to the layout could well make the track a favourite in F1 2021.
Creating overtaking?
Albert Park hasn't changed much at all over the years. As a semi-street circuit it is hard to totally overhaul the layout, especially for F1, but this year will be a new test.
A fresh layout is widening corner entries and flattening out one chicane in a redesign that looks entirely focused on promoting overtaking.
Turns 1, 3, 6, 13, and 15 are getting reprofiled to be wider at the apex, while the tricky 9/10 chicane is going all together.
It is this flattening of the angle that should result in a full-on drag race from the exit of turn 6 all the way down to turn 11, which is already a fast kink to F1 cars.
Lower downforce levels in 2021 could make it tough to follow through the old track, so these changes will be welcome, especially to gamers.
F1 games are usually easier when it comes to overtaking than in real life, but that still doesn't make it simple to get past at Albert Park. Now there are far more opportunities, especially as your setup will need to be tweaked for the new layout.
F1 2021 release date
Codemasters is yet to announce F1 2021, but if history is anything to go by the game should have a release date around late June/early July.
It should also be developed with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in mind. While we doubt it will be a next-gen exclusive, it should certainly include some features for the new DualSense controller.