Australian Grand Prix – Presentation and predictions by the editorial team
Two years later, he is back: the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne will see F1 cars racing its track again, two years after their last visit. The third race of the season in Australia promises to be exciting, on a track that has been revamped.
Finally back in Australia
Everyone has in mind the last Formula 1 race in Melbourne. On March 13, 2020, as the teams were getting ready to start the first practice session, the Grand Prix was canceled after a case of coronavirus was detected in the McLaren garage. The season would only resume at the end of May, with a shortened calendar that no longer included Australia.
Bis repetita in 2021, where the health conditions do not allow for racing in Australia in March. After an initial postponement to November, the event is finally canceled in July. Therefore, the last Australian Grand Prix dates back to 2019, a race in which Valtteri Bottas emerged as the winner ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, securing his fourth victory in Formula 1. Despite starting second on the grid behind Hamilton, the Finnish driver managed to surpass him. The British driver had achieved his sixth consecutive pole position on the Albert Park circuit, maintaining a flawless record since the start of the hybrid era in 2014.
A new Verstappen-Leclerc duel to come?
Will Hamilton be able to secure a seventh consecutive pole position in Melbourne? It’s hard to believe, given the difficulties encountered by Mercedes since the beginning of the season. The W13 seems far from being able to compete for victory, and the seven-time world champion is coming off a very challenging weekend in Jeddah where he was eliminated in Q1 for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2017.
The victory should be contested between the two teams that have made the strongest impression since the beginning of the season: Ferrari and Red Bull. While the Scuderia is returning to the top, propelled by an excellent Charles Leclerc (one win, one second place) and a consistent Carlos Sainz (second in Bahrain, third in Jeddah), Red Bull is riding on its performances from last season.
The Austrian team can count on a Max Verstappen who doesn’t seem satisfied with his first world title obtained last December. The Dutchman emerged victorious in Jeddah, engaging in a fierce battle with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. The two former karting rivals are expected to once again compete for the top positions, unless their teammates intervene, like in Jeddah where Sergio Perez secured his first pole position ahead of the two Ferraris.
The layout and choices of Pirelli:
The Melbourne circuit has been hosting Formula 1 since 1996, and it was starting to show its age. The track has been resurfaced and some corners have been slightly modified to encourage overtaking. The major change is the introduction of four DRS zones and the removal of two corners. The Australian circuit now measures 5.279 km, which is 24 meters shorter than before.”
Regarding the tires provided by Pirelli, the Italian manufacturer has chosen three surprising compounds as they offer teams the C2 tires for hard compounds, C3 for medium compounds, and C5 for soft compounds. As a reminder, the C1 tires are the hardest in the range, and the C5 tires are the softest. The surprise comes from the absence of the C4 tire. It is extremely rare for Pirelli to forgo a range of tires to bring three tires that are not consecutive. Therefore, the performance gap between soft and medium tires should be even greater than usual.
We’re back down under this weekend! 🇦🇺
Returning to Albert Park, Melbourne – for the first time since 2019 – there have been plenty of circuit changes for the #Fit4F1 drivers to get to grips with! 🏁https://t.co/o8RLutvpb6#F1 #AusGP #Formula1 #Pirelli #Pirelli150 pic.twitter.com/5KImdIezX6
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 4, 2022
The editorial’s predictions: Red Bull – Ferrari and the others
On the side of the editorial predictions, there are no big surprises. According to us, the victory should be fought between Ferrari and Red Bull, as only two editors see other teams making it onto the podium. One of them is taking a big bet on an unlikely podium with Perez-Russell-Magnussen if it rains in Australia… The majority sees Verstappen repeating his success after his win in Jeddah and triumphing once again in Melbourne.
While many of us had bet on a victory for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia, the enthusiasm has somewhat dissipated as only one writer sees the Spaniard clinching his first win on Sunday. However, many of us imagine Sainz proving his consistency by stepping onto the podium for the third time in as many races.
Some lean more towards Sergio Perez in this highly anticipated duel of the “second drivers”. After the surprising pole position by the Mexican in Jeddah, his first ever, five writers envision him stepping onto the podium for the first time this season to secure his 16th podium finish, which the Safety Car denied him just ten days ago. One of us even imagines him claiming victory… We’ll find out on Sunday starting at 7:00am.
| Rédacteur | Pole | Vainqueur | Deuxième | Troisième | |
| 1 | Romain Mathon | Sainz | Verstappen | Sainz | Perez |
| 2 | Guillaume Pinquet | Leclerc | Leclerc | Verstappen | Perez |
| 3 | Romain Beaussier | Leclerc | Leclerc | Verstappen | Sainz |
| 4 | Eric Soussy | Verstappen | Verstappen | Leclerc | Sainz |
| 5 | Laure Martinez | Verstappen | Verstappen | Leclerc | Perez |
| 6 | Morgan Parmentier | Sainz | Verstappen | Leclerc | Sainz |
| 7 | Cyprien Juilhard | Verstappen | Verstappen | Leclerc | Sainz |
| 8 | Nicolas Lerooy | Verstappen | Sainz | Perez | Russell |
| 9 | Bastien Dauby | Perez | Perez | Russell | Magnussen |
