Australian GP Preview
Two years have passed since Formula 1 visited Albert Park in Melbourne. The Covid-19 pandemic has made far too long since the last time that Formula 1 visited this venue. However, racing was always entertaining and productive. In recent years, the Australian Grand Prix has been the season opener. However, the 2020 GP was cancelled after a McLaren team member was confirmed to have been positive with Covid-19. This sent eagerly awaiting fans back home and racing down under, was halted. The race was cancelled once more due to strict quarantine and entry restrictions despite Albert Park being set to return for the 2021 season. Not sure which provider to use for the Aus GP? Have a look and compare the
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What’s Changed & What to Expect?
F1 is now ready to race again in this new era. Patience pays off as since our last visit, there have been a few modifications to the circuit. The chicane between turns 9 and 10 has been removed. At turn 13, the corner entry was straightened and widened to 3.5m. Corners one, three, six and fifteen were all widened 2.5m. We now know that the new cars are not very compliant at slow speed corners so this will be a benefit to drivers and their machinery.
What can we expect of the teams this weekend? With a new track layout and new cars, it’s difficult to predict. We expect the hardworking and always striving Mercedes to offer an upgrade package, specifically a new floor, as their performance dynamics have drastically changed with the new regulations. They believe this will help them to move closer to the front and assert their dominance since they were last here in 2019.
Who’s Contending For a Podium?
We expect the fight between Ferrari and Red Bull to continue. The track suits Red Bull better, and the odds show that Verstappen is the favourite, with Leclerc not far behind. They won’t be the main focus of attention as McLaren’s Aussie-born Daniel Ricciardo expects a warm welcome back. There are already welcome back banners posted around the circuit.
The Australian native has had a rough time in Albert Park. His best results were fourth and fifth on two occasions during his time with Red Bull. He would like to see his McLaren mechanics and engineers optimise the cars’ performance in order to achieve a better result. That is if he can beat his team mate Lando Norris, who’s proved to be a fantastic driver in all his races.
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Other Notable Drivers
Haas had a good year in 2019, K.Mag finished sixth in his last trip down under. Given the solid performance Haas has been enjoying in this new era I wouldn’t be surprised to see him finish in the top ten again.
Seb Vettel expects to return to racing after missing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as he was positive for Covid-19. This German driver has a solid track record here, with three poles, three wins, seven podium finishes, and eight points in 12 races. Although the Aston is still not fully optimized to maximize its performance, it will be interesting to see how Vettel handles his new car on a track he knows so well.
Bottas was the last race winner and he is likely to be the next top ten, or even a top five finisher if he can get his Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo around this tricky circuit quick enough. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the Alpines, their performance so far has been outstanding. With Fernando Alonso, the experienced driver, and with his team mate Esteban Ocon, expect hard racing once again from the pair.
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