Australian GP Preview

It’s the third round of the Formula One season and we are in the land down under, so lace up your racing boots, grab your didgeridoo and hold on for 58 laps at the Albert Park Circuit in Australia. In the recent past, the F1 season has started in Australia, so it almost feels like this is the first real race of the season, but without Daniel Ricciardo driving it’s just not the same, so we’ll have to make due. Be on the lookout for a podium Shoey in memory of the Honey Badger.

Can the momentum of the Red Bulls and Fernando Alonso carry over from the last two races where we’ve seen the trio on the podium twice now, or will we see some new challengers in Australia? While the Ferraris are not where they would like to be, Charles Leclerc, barring any mechanical issues, seems to be the most likely candidate for challenging the three front runners. We haven’t really seen Leclerc at his full potential yet. In Bahrain he was running a comfortable third when his car shut down on him and he was forced to retire. In Saudi Arabia he had to start in 12th due to the penalty he incurred from having to replace the ICU, which is what caused the Bahrain debacle. It was a double whammy. This time last year, Leclerc was the championship points leader. Hopefully we will get to see Ferrari’s true potential this weekend. While the Red Bulls seem too far ahead for anyone to catch, we might be treated to a battle for 3rd on the podium. However, if Alonso does land on the podium again, statistics say that he will win, as every driver who’s claimed 100 podiums, as Alonso did last week, has won the race of his 101st podium. With that to consider, and an expectation that the Aston Martins are well suited to the track in Australia, it may well be that Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll are only fighting for 4th while Alonso is setting the pace out front.

Either way, Mercedes and Alpine will most likely be scrapping for the final points paying positions on race day, but can Lando Norris enter the fray? In Bahrain, his rookie teammate, Oscar Piastri, qualified in 9th position, proving the McLarens do have some pace, but front wing damage to both cars in the race scuttled their results. If Lando can put together a decent qualifying lap we may see McLaren challenge for some points at the back. Behind the McLarens, Valtteri Bottas, sporting his mullet cut, mustache and farmer tan in true style, will most likely be fighting with the Haas, Williams and Alpha Tauri teams for some recognition.

The track in Australia, with its high-speed corners, will hopefully give us a clearer picture of how the teams stack up against each other in terms of performance. It currently looks like the Alpha Tauris are the weakest, and of course we already know who’s at the opposite end of the spectrum, but Haas, Williams and McLaren have yet to establish a true pecking order.

One thing we know for sure is that the grid boxes in Australian have been widened in order to avoid the ridiculous penalties that plagued Ocon in Bahrain and Alonso in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, it was a tweak of the rules in the offseason that triggered the penalties, so hopefully having the wider boxes at the start of the race will be carried on throughout the season.

With the time difference in Australia, FP1 and FP2 will begin Thursday evening in the United States, FP3 and Qualifying will be on Friday and the race will actually begin at 10pm pacific time on Saturday. Until then, keep your tires in the window, stay fast and have a goodday.