MOTORSPORT: Albert Park primed for F1 showdown

The question on everyone’s lips this weekend as the 2023 Formula 1 world championship roars into Albert Park is whether the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are beatable.

The pair dominated the opening two events of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, sharing a win apiece.

The success last time out for Perez caused friction in the camp, with Verstappen visibly unhappy with his second-place finish, after charging through the field from 15th on the grid following a mechanical drama in qualifying.

So dominant has Red Bull Racing been to date this season that it has scored more than double the Constructors’ points of the next nearest team in the standings, although neither of the RBR team drivers has tasted previous success in Australia.

The wildcard in the pack may well be two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has been the surprise packet from the opening Middle East swing, with a pair of third-place finishes to his credit.

His Saudi Arabian podium saw the Spaniard demoted post-race following an early incident, however, his Aston Martin squad successfully overturned the ruling.

Now sitting on 100 podium finishes, a win this weekend for Alonso would see him join Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, whose 101 podium finish were all victories.

The battle behind the top three has been fascinating this year, with precious little separating a pack of drivers.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) currently heads Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (both Mercedes) in the points, while Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) will be looking for an improved showing after battling through the early races with injuries inflicted by an off-season bicycle training accident.

Reigning AGP winner Charles Leclerc will no doubt be in the mix in his Ferrari, after retiring with mechanical issues from Bahrain.

Of interest this weekend, the revamped Albert Park layout features four DRS zones, so overtaking during the race – in theory – has never been easier.

The undercard to Formula 1 has its strongest international flavour to date, with both F2 and F3 making the trek Down Under for the first time.

The entry for both classes features plenty of local interest, with Jack Doohan a leading contender in the F2 ranks following three victories last season and a podium last time out. His efforts were dovetailed by reserve driver duties for the Alpine F1 squad.

In F3, Aussies will have Hugh Barter, Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith to cheer for.

The Supercars, meanwhile, will see the new Gen3 machines hit the track for their second event this season, following a controversial debut in Newcastle two weeks ago.

Since that meet, the Red Bull Ampol Racing squad lost their appeal against their opening-race double disqualification, with Shane van Gisbergen the subject of ongoing headlines following his vow of silence after race two.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the garage, the Chevrolet Camaro of Broc Feeney will be sporting carsales.com.au colours during this weekend’s four races.

Following a pair of second-place finishes from Newcastle, Chaz Mostert leads the title standings aboard his Optus Ford Mustang, ahead of Brodie Kostecki (Coca-Cola Camaro) and Cameron Waters (Monster Mustang).

Each of the Supercars races will feature a compulsory pit stop, in which teams must switch between hard and super-soft compound Dunlop tyres, bringing strategy to the forefront during the short races.

All support classes – including Porsche Carrera Cup – had their practice, qualifying and first races today, before the Formula 1 cars hit the track at 12:30pm tomorrow (Friday).

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