Grand Prix 3 - Australia 2002

The 2002 Formula 1 World Racing Championship starts on the 2002-03-01 weekend, at Melbourne / Australia. Now that the real life Prost Grand Prix (PGP) is out of action, its time for Prost fans to get back into the simulation scene and keep the name alive!

So - yes - APR (Alain Prost Racing), my sim-racing team, is back! It's a shame what France let happen to Prost, but that's history, and its time to move on. "Real" F1 is dead, in the sense that I don't get 1/100th of the emotions I once did. Sure I still appreciate a F1 race, but I am really bored of the Schumachers! I can't stand that Schum face anymore! I wish Montoya or Coulthard, or just anyone else, would kick the german out of the #1 spot.

There have been some rumors, about PGP still competing this championship, but that can't be true, because the french court that takes care of the liquidation process (the company is selling everything it has, so it can pay debts of ~30 Million USD), clearly stated that by 2002-02-28 (the deadline for a team to sign up for the 2002 F1 season) had only received bids for:

- the acquisition of the AP04 and AP05 chassis intellectual property;
- the acquisition of the AP05 pieces and elements;
- the acquisition of the rights related to the Concorde Agreement;
- the hiring of some AP04 chassis elements and related parts.

In other words, the name "PGP" is still for sale, as are the Guyancourt facilities and the Magny-Cours wind tunnel. And even if the "PGP" name had been sold, Prost himself wouldn't be around, so where would the fun be?! F1 without Prost is NOT F1.

Because my favorite F1 simulator, GP Legends, simply refuses to work on both my computers, I can't but play Grand Prix 3 Season 2000 (GP3-2K), when I am on a F1 simulation mood. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE GP3-2K, but GP Legends is the absolute reference, in what comes to realistic handling.

So, I took my GP3-2K out of the (garage) box and did a few laps on Albert Park - the Melbourne circuit. Let me share with you the replay of my best lap, using the DEFAULT setup:

Australia - Albert Park - 1p31s776.hla [requires GP3-2K]

My best is a reasonable 1:31:776, driving a Prost, with zero helps, using a MS Sidewinder Force Feedback Steering Wheel. "Real" F1s do 1:26... and so do the best "original" GP3 players, although I have no info on GP3-2K records. Am I 5 seconds off the pace?

Here is my suggestion to lap this fast with the DEFAULT setup:

The first turn (a right) is a very sensible spot that easily represents 0.5 seconds of bonus or penalty. You'll have to approach it on 6th (absolutely on the redline - 190 mph), then bite the inside curb on 2nd gear, and full throttle *immediately* out. If you hesitate - and that will be easy, because the car will shake a lot -, or if you slide the rear when doing the left turn that follows, that will be quite costly. Don't fear and just keep the hammer down.
There is no science to the straight before the first chicane, other than braking slightly AFTER the 100 meters warning, allowing the car to overturn and kiss the inside right curb (don't kiss the left one, because you'll run out of angle). I usually do it on a low 2nd gear, but immediately drop to 1st, just to hit the redline, negotiate the left exit, and then keep it flat, for the next diving right, no matter how scary (or impossible) it might be, when the tires are too hot, or too cold.

What follows is hard-on-the-brakes right, a flat right, and a right-left 1st gear chicane, that usually influences Albert Park setups. If you drive heavy on the wings, it should be easy to negotiate the chicane, but you'll be slow on the extremely fast left that can propel you to the 190 mph... however if you're light on the aerodynamics, the chicane will cost time, or a spin...

Just when you're thundering at 190mph, you get a fast chicane - the last of Melbourne's challenges - that can be done on 3rd/4th. After it, its the regular rev 'up to 6th, brake down to 2nd.

Try it yourself.