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PREVIEW: The biggest day on the Australian sporting calendar is here!

Phil Branagan
Saturday, 23 March 2024


Race day beckons and the FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 looks set to be the most thrilling event of the World Championship season.

After three record-breaking days, the waiting will be over at 3:00 pm. Who will add their name to the list of winners of the Australian Grand Prix?

The top three qualifiers all have reasons to be confident, though Max Verstappen has some doubts how his Sunday will play out.

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“They seem very quick in the long runs, I guess we will find out tomorrow,” he said.

Sainz, who is recovering from having his appendix removed, said that he was “not in my most comfortable state but I can get it done. No pain, it allows me to push flat-out”.

Perez, who starts from third, expects tyres to be a big factor.

WATCH: Sh*t F1® Questions

“I think the degradation is going to be very high, we will find out tomorrow,” he said. “Let’s see who can survive the most on the degradation side.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will start the race from sixth on the grid and will be looking for a strong result. Last year he qualified 16th when he made his first appearance at Albert Park and made it into the points in eighth place.

The other man to watch will be Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes-AMG ace has struggled all weekend and will start from outside the top 10 (from 11th, in fact) for the first time since 2010. How far can he make it up the field?

There will be a lot to see before the Formula 1® drivers take centre stage.

First up will be the Formula 3® Feature race, over 23 laps, at 9:05am. Saturday’s Sprint race is already being called one of the best of recent seasons and Aussie driver Christian Mansell will be out to right the ship as he battles his way to the front.

At 10:20 am the Supercars stars will take to the track for the fourth and final MSS Security Melbourne Supersprint. After dominating the two opening traces the Red Bull Chevrolets were humbled by the Fords on Saturday

Then it is the Formula 2® Feature race that will take to the track, at 11:35. The 33-lap journey will be a real challenge for the drivers, with the fastest Qualifiers Dennis Hauger and Kimi Antonelli looking to stay out of trouble while Sprint race winner Roman Stanek gives chase.

After two appearances on Saturday, the fans will have one final chance to see Mick and Jack Doohan on the track at 1:35pm. The five-time 500cc World champion will be on a Honda RC213V road bike while Jack will turn back the clock again; he drove a Benetton B200 from 24 years ago and then, due to a technical issue with that car, a Brabham BT23B. What will he be in today?

There is also one more Supercars race, with the final MSS Security Melbourne Supersprint over 14 laps at 10:20am. So far the honours have gone the way of Red Bull pilots Broc Feeney and Will Brown but surely, with three Fords qualifying fastest, Sunday will be different... surely?

View Sunday's complete schedule.

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