Max Verstappen is going to be a hard man to beat in the FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 but there are two Mercedes-Benz drivers with their eyes on upsetting the World Champion’s weekend.
The Red Bull driver has never won in Melbourne, but Lewis Hamilton has, twice, and there are signs that the British ace has his eyes on another win around the lake. But first, he will have to deal with his own teammate George Russell, who surprised his team (and probably himself) by qualifying second fastest in a car that many have not expected to challenge Verstappen.
To
add to the intrigue, Max is going to have to run solo on Sunday, as teammate
Sergio Perez will start from last on the grid after not completing a single lap
in the first Q session before running off the road. Verstappen made it to
second from 15th on the grid in Saudi Arabia; how far can Perez make
it through the field?
As expected, the Aston Martins are not far away, Fernando Alonso fourth fastest, while the two Ferraris are right behind. In short, there is going to be a lot to watch at both ends of the field when the lights go green at 3:00 pm.
Before that, there is going to be much to see. The on-track action kicks off with the final Formula 3® race set for 9:05 am, the sport’s rising stars putting on a great show in their debut on Saturday.
The bigger open-wheelers, the Formula 2 field, will have their final outing at 11:35 am. Jack Doohan is the only Australian driver in the field and will have his work cut out, but with dry conditions likely, tyre strategy could be one area from which the son of motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan will be plotting to move through the field.
In between those two races will be the final Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint Supercars race of the weekend, set for 10:20 am. So far, the battle between the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustangs has been fierce, with the Coca-Cola Erebus Motorsport duo of Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown taking the fight right up to Shane van Gisbergen.
Behind them, there have been action, incidents and even a pitlane fireball in Saturday’s race. What can Sunday bring?
Along the way, there will be the traditional RAAF Air Display – no, make that two Air Displays, scheduled for 11:15 am and 2:25 pm.
