The Prebrief: Key storylines in Albert Park return

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Albert Park will this weekend host the third round of 2022, and its 25th ATCC/Supercars round.

The Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 will feature at the Formula 1 Heineken Australian Grand Prix on April 7-10.

Drivers will face a new challenge at Albert Park, with the circuit undergoing major changes in the past three years, as well as a complete resurfacing.

Shane van Gisbergen enters the weekend with a 67-point championship lead over Anton De Pasquale.

Shell V-Power Racing Team veteran Will Davison is also in the mix, just 55 points behind De Pasquale.

The Dick Johnson Racing squad has dominated Albert Park in the recent past, winning seven of the last 12 races at the venue.

Could this be De Pasquale’s best chance to unseat van Gisbergen at the top?

New layout question mark

The sweeping Albert Park circuit has seen major upgrades since Supercars were last on track.

The Turn 9/10 chicane has been removed, with a sweeper connecting two straights.

A number of key corners have been widened and reprofiled to encourage more overtaking.

There will be limited time for adjustment, with a compact schedule of just two 30-minute practice sessions followed by four quick-fire qualifying sessions, lasting just 10 minutes each.

Mark Skaife, who oversaw the revisions, said the tweaked circuit will present a new challenge for drivers.

"The track’s faster; it's going to have more room for error," five-time series champion Skaife said.

"There’ll be more mistakes for sure.

"Now, it’s absolutely flat out. The fastest section is around the back of Albert Park now.

"The cars will do in excess of 275km/h in that zone."

Can SVG retain his series lead?

Shane van Gisbergen was on another level in Tasmania as he regained the series lead.

However, the reigning champion showed his hand in the finale, admitting to using radio tactics to gain an edge.

The fast Kiwi knows what it takes to win at Albert Park, having claimed victory seven times at the circuit.

However, he has never won a championship race at Albert Park, and hasn't won there since 2016.

He would have started from pole for the opening race in 2020 before the event was cancelled.

Van Gisbergen is expecting the DJR Fords to be fast in Melbourne, and believes he will have a tough time keeping the red Mustangs behind.

WAU desperate to return to winning ways

One driver hoping to turn it on in Melbourne is Chaz Mostert, who encountered a bruising round in Tasmania.

Mostert left Symmons Plains fourth overall; he dropped to 23rd on Saturday, but turned it around from 16th to fourth in Sunday's first race.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United ace heads to Victoria as the defending Larry Perkins Trophy winner, having won the trophy in 2019 while at Tickford Racing.

Albert Park has also been a happy hunting ground for WAU, which has won the most races of any team since the event's inception in 1996.

Now 145 points behind van Gisbergen, Mostert will be keen to make up ground to keep his championship hopes alive.

Grand expectations for DJR

The Shell V-Power Racing Team is expected to turn up the wick at Albert Park.

DJR Fords have good form in Melbourne, winning seven of the past 12 races.

However, with three-time champion Scott McLaughlin now Stateside, all eyes will be on Davison and De Pasquale to continue the team's success.

Neither driver has recorded a win at Albert Park, or raced a DJR Mustang at the circuit.

De Pasquale sits just 67 points adrift of van Gisbergen and expects to be strong this weekend.

"We’ll be a bit stronger there than here," De Pasquale said following the Tasmania finale.

"The style of track and the strengths of our car. But a fair bit has changed too.

"How much that’s changed in the philosophy of the car and previous data, we’ll find out.

"I’ve obviously never been there in this car… I’m looking forward to it."

Mixed tyre strategies will be key

The weekend will be the second mixed tyre compound event of 2022; Dunlop’s Soft and Hard tyres will both be in use.

Each car is required to use both Hard and Soft tyre compounds during each 20-lap race, throwing up a big challenge for teams.

Strategy will be a big factor; which tyre compound teams start on, and when to change tyres, will be a precarious decision.

The other factor is that each race will have a mandatory pit stop without fuel, which makes how quickly the crew can change all four tyres critical.

Davison explained getting an early read on circuit and tyres will also prove crucial as the track surface evolves throughout the weekend.

"Without too much strategy involved, qualifying is critical," he explained.

"To have four qualifying sessions and four races is really unique.

"You qualify very early in the weekend; you qualify for Sunday’s race on Friday morning.

"A lot evolves over the weekend when the Formula 1 cars hit the track Friday, a lot more rubber goes down.

"The car characteristics change throughout the weekend, so you have to be on top of the circuit evolution."

Track action at the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 will commence on Thursday.

Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and streamed on Kayo.

The Seven Network will broadcast highlights on Saturday and Sunday.