By the time Formula One cars hit the track at Albert Park in November, it will have been nearly three years since they last raced around the Melbourne circuit.
But with the 2020 Australian Grand Prix cancelled, and the 2021 event delayed by eight months, organisers haven't been idle, fast-tracking long awaited changes to the circuit designed to improve the quality of racing.
A total of five corners will be modified, while another two will be removed altogether as the track receives its biggest makeover since the race moved from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996.
Turns one, three, six, 13 and 15 will be widened and reprofiled, while the right-left chicane at turns 9-10 will no longer exist, meaning the cars will arrive at the challenging turn 11-12 complex at even higher speeds.
In addition, the entire circuit will be resurfaced immediately after the 2021 race.
According to chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Andrew Westacott, the changes are long overdue.
"Albert Park was first used in the 1950's, but in terms of the modern era it was designed and built in 1995, and it hasn't been resurfaced or adjusted in any major way since then," he told Wide World of Sports.
"What was put down was high quality but it's now reached the end of its life and from the first time it was used in 1996 through until now, Formula One cars have evolved.
"If you consider that Albert Park is our playing surface, it's our fairway, or centre court, and it's never really had an upgrade.
"The need to resurface the track was there and at the same time, we're taking the opportunity to adjust particular turns, either with some minor changes or, like around the lakeside, a rather significant change."
The difficulty in overtaking at Albert Park has long been a criticism of the circuit, with some even claiming it doesn't deserve the honour of hosting the season-opening race, given it often produces bland racing.
Westacott is hopeful these alterations will put an end to such comments.
"We're making these changes to increase the competitiveness of the racing, to reward brave racing, to penalise poor driving and to provide greater levels of opportunity," he explained.
"We think that is very exciting indeed. It's the biggest set of changes to the circuit since the race moved to Melbourne and the works and construction are already underway.
"As a bonus, it is going to produce unbelievably exciting new viewing locations for corporate grandstands and general admission fans alike."
The last time the Formula One cars raced in Melbourne was 2019, Daniel Ricciardo's debut for Renault. His race was effectively over after just a few hundred metres, after his front wing was torn off after the Australian bounced over the grass beside the pit wall.
In good news for the new McLaren driver, that can't happen again.
"We widened pitlane by two metres, because currently our pitlane is a 60 km/h speed limit and we're hoping that will become 80 km/h," Westacott said.
"The widening means the strip of grass on pit-exit is no longer there.
"One of the vagaries of a street circuit is there's about 20 driveways around our venue. Sadly, the local hero decided to digress off the black stuff onto one of the driveways very early on in 2019!"
Some runoff areas have been adjusted, with entry angles and speeds changing. Turn six, for example, was previously taken at around 100 km/h but after the modifications, it's expected to become a 150 km/h turn.
Westacott believes the changes will provide value for money.
"It's a $20 million project to resurface a circuit of this nature and to make the changes," he explained.
"The interesting thing is that roads in Victoria, based on the experience of VicRoads, are normally resurfaced every 10-15 years.
"The quality of what was put down back in 1995, and the quality of what will be done in 2021, is such that we hope this doesn't need to be done again for another 25 years.
"It's a project that is being done by Victorian companies and Victorian workers, there's 219 people employed across the four-month program."
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