Motor Racing
Australian Grand Prix preview
With Max Verstappen taking his second victory of the year in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the drivers jet down under to the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, for the third race of the season.
We preview the Australian Grand Prix below.
Bet on the Australian Grand Prix with William Hill
Albert Park Circuit overview
We’re back to normality this weekend with the practice taking place on Friday, qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix itself taking centre stage on the Sunday and from what we saw last year, the Albert Park circuit is yet another completely different challenge for the teams and drivers, with eight of the 20 drivers failing to complete the race.
Last time out in Saudi Arabia, it was all about all-out speed and, although Australia shares similarities, the Albert Park Circuit does feature a few more slow sections and heavy braking zones which will be the ultimate test for the cars. To add fuel to the fire as it were, we might be about to witness the first wet run of the season as the weekend looks rainy, which exponentially hinders the ability of the drivers to go flat out due to poor visibility and low traction which can really level out the playing field.
If the weather does affect the race, it will be interesting to see what decisions the teams will make tactically, as there will be a larger emphasis on strategy should this be the case. Since we’re talking strategy, if the weather holds up, tyre wear is not likely to be an issue at all considering Alex Albon, in the 2022 edition of this race, managed to go 57 out of the 58 laps on one set of hard tyres.
Main teams to look out for
Aston Martin
This looks to be a decent chance for former World Champion Fernando Alonso who is 3/1 to get a podium finish here in Australia. The lack of tyre wear will give him the freedom to really push his car as we saw last time out in Jeddah where he finished in P5. In contrast, his teammate Lance Stroll had a rather disastrous time in Saudi Arabia hitting the wall in practice, as well as doing the exact same thing in the Grand Prix.
Due to the nature of the car, the drivers should have a good chance to secure an advantageous position on the grid in qualifying, making use of those slower sections of the track, but whether or not they can maintain their speed on race day is yet to be seen.
McLaren
McLaren had a great race in Saudi Arabia, taking third place from Mercedes in the Constructors Championship as Lando Norris held off Lewis Hamilton for P8, with last year’s rookie Oscar Piastri finishing a cool P4. Both McLaren drivers have pretty generous odds to make the podium, with Lando Norris ahead at 7/2, and Piastri next in the betting at 6/1 to perform at home.
Heading into Australia, we can expect another close battle with Mercedes as the two look evenly matched so far this season, however, they do have the ability to take on Ferrari as well. They’ve been known to relish the straights and Australia’s circuit does feature some, as well as the lower speed sections, so should they navigate both with equal finesse, they could come remarkably close.
Mercedes
Mercedes have been struggling on these flat-out circuits of late, so the nature of the Australian track will be a welcome change for both the drivers and the car. This lack in speed caused them to lose out on a place to McLaren in the Constructors Championship last time out. They looked extremely strong at this circuit last year however with Hamilton finishing P2, and this should give both drivers a huge boost in confidence ahead of this weekend.
Despite the experience in the Mercedes car that Lewis Hamilton has, George Russell seems to have taken to it best so far this season and is 25/1 to top the podium ahead of Hamilton at 28/1. It’ll be interesting to see which of these two finish higher in the places, with Hamilton at 2/1 to finish on the podium ahead of Russell at 3/1.
Ferrari
If there has been a team to rival the prowess of the Red Bull car, it has been Ferrari. Charles Leclerc managed to bag a podium last time out with teammate Carlos Sainz doing the same the week before in Bahrain. Leclerc managed the fastest lap in the last Grand Prix, so they are certainly capable of producing a performance worthy to top the podium ahead of star boy Max Verstappen. Leclerc is 11/4 to set the fastest lap in Australia which could be some good value in the most closely contended market of them all with Max Verstappen in the picture!
Carlos Sainz has been confirmed to be seen cycling around the track in Australia so we can expect him to make an impact on his return to the grid, after young talent Oliver Bearman secured P8 last time out in his absence.
Red Bull
Finally, after a typical 1-2 finish for Red Bull in Saudi Arabia, the Red Bull car looks to be in flying form. Verstappen flew home into P1 last time out, and is one win away from matching his all-time record of consecutive wins in F1, and there doesn’t look to be anything stopping him from doing so this time around at 1/5.
Sergio Perez could be the man to spoil the party at 8/1 should things go wrong for his teammate, but if the track is dry, Verstappen is likely to breeze past them all in familiar fashion yet again.
