ALBERT PARK, VIC - MARCH 17: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Valtteri Bottas (77) ahead of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Lewis Hamilton (44) and Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow driver Sebastian Vettel (5) at The Australian Formula One Grand Prix on March 17, 2019, at The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Australia. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
F1 returns this weekend after a short break as the action moves on to Albert Park in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix
F1 resumes this weekend after a short break and we move on from the Middle East to Australia! Let us take a look at what’s in store for us in Melbourne.
The burning topic seems to be – will Hamilton get his season back on track? The Brit is aiming for a record eighth F1 championship title after narrowly missing out last season. However, it has been an underwhelming start to the new season and some things need to change if he has to stay in the title race. Fans are loving the Leclerc-Verstappen rivalry, will we be treated to another intense duel in Melbourne? We certainly hope so.
There are lots of other aspects to look forward to including the much-awaited return of Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher. Vettel’s return has been confirmed by the Aston Martin F1 team while Schumacher’s has recovered from the horrific crash in Jeddah and is set to be back doing what he does best!
The Australian GP will take place at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. It is a motorsport street circuit around Albert Park Lake and has an FIA Grade 1 license. The circuit has a total length of 5.278 kilometers with 14 turns. It can support a crowd of 80,000 people.
The track is considered to be quite fast and relatively easy to drive. Drivers have explained that the consistent placement of corners allows them to easily adapt to the design and achieve competitive designs.
In 2021, the Australian GP was scheduled to take place in November. However, unfortunately, due to the rising cases of Covid-19 in Melbourne, it was eventually called off. This was the second consecutive time that Melbourne couldn’t host the Grand Prix – it was canceled in 2020 as well for the same reason. The Australian GP was, therefore, last held in 2019. On that occasion, Mercedes stole the show with Valtteri Bottas occupying first place followed by team-mate Lewis Hamilton while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen occupied third place on the podium.
Here’s what the top 5 of the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship leaderboard looks like after the two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia:
Constructors’ Championship:
Ferrari – 78 points
Mercedes – 38 points
Red Bull Racing – 37 points
Alpine – 16 points
Haas – 12 points
Drivers’ Championship:
Charles Leclerc – 45 points
Carlos Sainz – 33 points
Max Verstappen – 25 points
George Russell – 22 points
Lewis Hamilton – 16 points
Australian GP Full Schedule
8th April, Friday, 13:00-14:00 local time – Practice Session 1
8th April, Friday, 16:00-17:00 local time – Practice Session 2
9th April, Saturday, 13:00-14:00 local time – Practice Session 3
9th April, Saturday, 16:00-17:00 local time – Qualifying Session
10th April, Sunday, 15:00-17:00 local time – Race
Australian GP Live Stream details
In the UK, every segment of the Grand Prix – from the start of the first practice session to the end of the race will be telecast live on Sky Sports network.
Viewers in India can watch the qualifying session and the main race live on Star Sports Network. Live stream of all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race will be available on Disney+Hotstar.
Viewers in the U.S.A can watch every session of the Grand Prix live on ESPN.
The stage is set for another thrilling and intense Max Verstappen – Charles Leclerc duel. The return of Sebastian Vettel makes the race even more unpredictable. Daniel Ricciardo has been underwhelming so far this season but will be keen to prove a point on home turf. Carlos Sainz will look to continue his good run while Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to climb up the ladder. With multiple scenarios in the mix, it is certainly a difficult race to call.
We are predicting a close finish with Verstappen coming out on top followed by Leclerc and Hamilton in second and third place respectively. Carlos Sainz, George Russell and Daniel Ricciardo could potentially round off the top six. Red Bull could potentially get a bit closer to Ferrari in the constructors’ championship after the Australian Grand Prix.
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