FORMULA One is heading down under this week for their third race of the 2024 season, the Australian Grand Prix.
The race weekend goes back to a somewhat normal format, after the first two races of the season took place on the Saturday, instead of the traditional Sunday.
I say somewhat normal, as any UK based F1 fans will have to wake up at the crack of dawn to see the events of the weekend unfold, with Practice 1 beginning on Friday the 22nd 1:30am, followed by Practice 2 at 5am.
Saturday features practice 3 at 1:30am and the highly anticipated Qualifying at 5am, with the race itself taking place on Sunday at 4am at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
So hopefully there will be 58 laps of pure excitement to make the early rise worth while, despite three-time World Champion Max Verstappen winning in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with extreme comfort.
We’ve got two native Aussies lined up on the grid this weekend, including fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri , meaning it’s the first time there’s been two Australian drivers racing in Melbourne since 2013.
Piastri impressed in the second half of his rookie season last year, after McLaren brought upgrades to his car at Silverstone, allowing him to accumulate 92 points between then and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Ricciardo regained his F1 seat last year in Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri – now known as Visa CashApp Racing Bulls – when the team got rid of Nyck De Vries after just 10 races.
So although no Australian is yet to win in their homeland (except from the adopted Aussie Valtteri Bottas), both drivers should be filled with adrenaline going into Friday.
As always, we’re expecting both Red Bulls to dominate this weekend, with Verstappen on the ultimate winning streak, his teammate Sergio Perez with the fastest ever lap at the circuit, and of course they’re both driving yet another rocket ship this season, crafted by Adrian Newey.
Ferrari’s number one man, Charles Leclerc, is another driver with recent success at Albert Park, pulling off the Grand Slam 2022, meaning he went the entire race without dropping out of pole.
There’s also still uncertainty whether Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will be back in the driver’s seat in Australia after missing out in Saudi, due to being diagnosed with Appendicitis and undergoing surgery last race weekend.
This gave room for reserve driver Ollie Bearman to dress in the iconic red race suit, and impress on his Formula One debut, ultimately finishing 8th in Jeddah.
So, we’ll have to see who gets that second Ferrari seat this weekend, but undoubtedly both cars will appear fast, especially in qualifying.
But whatever the outcome in Australia, my advice would be that if you’re getting up for the Grand Prix on Sunday, ignore Max Verstappen in first, and watch the race as if second is first instead.
