Lewis Hamilton must be streetwise at unforgiving Australian Grand Prix track, warns Karun Chandhok

Favourite: Lewis Hamilton went fastest in morning practice
AFP/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton has been warned by ex-Formula One racer Karun Chandhok that Albert Park can derail even the best drivers.

The four-time world champion is tipped to win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix but former Hispania driver Chandhok warned: “[The circuit is] very unforgiving. It’s so easy to bang the walls around here — and the best of the best have done it: Michael Schumacher rolled here before and Mika Hakkinen had a big accident here, so it punishes lapses in concentration even from the best.”

Hamilton clinched pole in Melbourne earlier on Saturday and, despite being the bookies’ favourite, it is a circuit that is known for throwing up bizarre results.

“There’s a lot of first-corner accidents, even on the front row, so Lewis needs to be careful, even though he’s clearly the guy to beat,” added Chandhok. “Part of that’s down to the fact that there’s not always a lot of overtaking opportunities on the circuit, so the drivers know they need to make a quick getaway.

“And it’s also a race that throws up a lot of safety-car incidents, which bunches up the field. It’s a weekend that throws up surprises, and that’s because of its street circuit nature.

“Added to that, there’s some scattered showers come race day on Sunday, so again I’d expect an anomaly of race results here as ever.”

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