Round three of the FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at Melbourne, Australia this weekend. Who will claim the top step of the podium around Albert Park?
Image Credit: Aston Martin Racing on Newspress
One month into the season and it's already Round three of the 2023 Formula One World Championship. This time around, the paddock flies down under in a much-celebrated return to the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne, Australia.
Europeans will be facing the early morning struggles. Practice sessions take place in the middle of the night whilst qualifying and the race both kick off at 8am CET. Despite making for an early start for a weekend, it is always a magical experience to wake up for an exciting race. Hear your alarm and immediately receive a rush of anticipation as you realise today's the day you get to watch the fastest race cars in the world take on a brilliant street course. Before feeling that magical excitement, here are some things to look out for in the Australian GP.
At the front, Red Bull are the clear favourites. But further down, it's difficult to know where cars should sit. Behind the dominating pair lie three teams, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes. With Ferrari suffering issues in both races so far and Aston Martin's drivers topping and tailing the six-car train, we don't know if Ferrari sits ahead or behind this pack. Visiting Melbourne, let's hope each team has a decent run of things in order to determine the true pace of the Italian Stallions.
Further down, the midfield is truly unpredictable given the close nature of the pack. Qualifying will be of upmost importance this weekend, so drivers can't afford to not extract the maximum out of their cars. Miss out on a tenth and you could find yourself dropping back several places. The midfield is where experts believe McLaren to be, but where exactly, no-one knows. The first two races saw issues befall both cars dropping them to the rear of the pack. Can the Papaya pairing finally have a clean race this weekend?
From Daniel Ricciardo getting the boot at the end of last year to Oscar Piastri getting a poor start to the season from no fault of his own. McLaren won't be popular with Australian F1 fans, and if he struggles this weekend, Monday could see plenty of orange shirts filling bins around Albert Park.
Whilst this makes for exciting viewing to spectators, the teams always hope for an easy race without drama. It's all well and good fighting to close or maintain a five-second gap. But when these two get closer mid-race and start fighting wheel-to-wheel, that's when things could get nasty for the energy drinks outfit.
With a dominant car, Red Bull is looking to win as many races early on before their lack of wind tunnel time starts to hinder them. A double DNF this early on would throw a spanner in their plans and open the door for a championship challenge from another team. Fancy a shot at your third, Fernando?
Will you be getting up early for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix? Who are you putting your money on?
Image Credit: Aston Martin Racing on Newspress
One month into the season and it's already Round three of the 2023 Formula One World Championship. This time around, the paddock flies down under in a much-celebrated return to the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne, Australia.
Europeans will be facing the early morning struggles. Practice sessions take place in the middle of the night whilst qualifying and the race both kick off at 8am CET. Despite making for an early start for a weekend, it is always a magical experience to wake up for an exciting race. Hear your alarm and immediately receive a rush of anticipation as you realise today's the day you get to watch the fastest race cars in the world take on a brilliant street course. Before feeling that magical excitement, here are some things to look out for in the Australian GP.
Understanding where everyone sits
Two races in, we should by now have a good idea of where every team and driver sits in the field. However, with various outfits hitting trouble in the first pair of events, the paddock is still struggling to define a predictable order.At the front, Red Bull are the clear favourites. But further down, it's difficult to know where cars should sit. Behind the dominating pair lie three teams, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes. With Ferrari suffering issues in both races so far and Aston Martin's drivers topping and tailing the six-car train, we don't know if Ferrari sits ahead or behind this pack. Visiting Melbourne, let's hope each team has a decent run of things in order to determine the true pace of the Italian Stallions.
Further down, the midfield is truly unpredictable given the close nature of the pack. Qualifying will be of upmost importance this weekend, so drivers can't afford to not extract the maximum out of their cars. Miss out on a tenth and you could find yourself dropping back several places. The midfield is where experts believe McLaren to be, but where exactly, no-one knows. The first two races saw issues befall both cars dropping them to the rear of the pack. Can the Papaya pairing finally have a clean race this weekend?
Piastri returns home
Speaking of McLaren, its youngest driver will be racing on his home streets of Melbourne for the first time in his career. The young Aussie will want to make a good first impression on his home-grown fans, but a good result depends on the car underneath him.From Daniel Ricciardo getting the boot at the end of last year to Oscar Piastri getting a poor start to the season from no fault of his own. McLaren won't be popular with Australian F1 fans, and if he struggles this weekend, Monday could see plenty of orange shirts filling bins around Albert Park.
Team management will be crucial
With Red Bull undisputedly leading the field, its two drivers are beginning to lock horns. Last time out, Sergio Perez managed to out-do his World Champion teammate putting the two level on race wins this year. The tail end of the Saudi Arabian GP featured disobedience from both drivers, a trait sure to rear its head this weekend if the team can't get a handle of the situation.Whilst this makes for exciting viewing to spectators, the teams always hope for an easy race without drama. It's all well and good fighting to close or maintain a five-second gap. But when these two get closer mid-race and start fighting wheel-to-wheel, that's when things could get nasty for the energy drinks outfit.
With a dominant car, Red Bull is looking to win as many races early on before their lack of wind tunnel time starts to hinder them. A double DNF this early on would throw a spanner in their plans and open the door for a championship challenge from another team. Fancy a shot at your third, Fernando?
Will you be getting up early for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix? Who are you putting your money on?
