Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo makes a thrilling return to Oracle Red Bull Racing dusting off the RB7 and tearing from beaches to outback across some of Australia’s most challenging terrain. Joined by some local racing experts, Ricciardo starts in the ‘wild west’ making his way through farmland and ocean vistas before the final challenge at iconic Mount Panorama.
Scuderia Ferrari putting Mafikeng on the world stage with their lights out message for this week… (despite spelling it incorrectly)
But high score to the Merc social media person for this awesome reply to Ferrari’s “Did you find the secret message?” question.
The FIA and Melbourne Race Director are reading MEW. Grid boxes are 20 cm wider, have the front tyre marker line extending on both sides, and there will be a central positioning line to help the drivers avoid the grid box penalties.
Albert Park Circuit | Melbourne | 2 April
2023 Season - Round 3/23
Most Recent Australian Grand Prix Pole Positions
Most Recent Australian GP Winners
Random Trivia
A day time race in Australia means really early morning starts for us in South Africa. 7AM early. And that’s for Practice 2 on Friday, Qualifying on Saturday and for the Main Event on Sunday. If you want to catch the other two Practice sessions live, you’re going to have to wake up extra early (3:30 early) on Friday and Saturday mornings. Or just save yourself the bother of sleeping and stay awake from the previous night.
The Albert Park Circuit saw some big changes during its two year Covid hiatus. The revised layout last year saw a much more flowing and faster track - and gave Charles Leclerc a new circuit lap record. Making things potentially even faster this year is the return of the fourth DRS zone - if it stays through to the race. It was there last year for the Friday Practice sessions, but with porpoising being such a huge issue early on in the 2022 season, was removed before the race.
When was the track built?
The deal to host Formula 1 in Melbourne was done in 1993, with the decision taken to create a circuit using a mixture of the existing roads around the city’s Albert Park – mainly Aughtie Drive and Lakeside Drive if you fancy driving it yourself – with a little detour through the Lakeside Stadium’s car park.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Just four months after Adelaide held its last Australian Grand Prix at the end of 1995, the Formula 1 teams were back in Australia for Melbourne’s first Grand Prix at the start of 1996. That race is most often remembered for Martin Brundle’s infamous Jordan crash at Turn 3 after he launched himself off the back of Johnny Herbert’s Sauber.
What’s the circuit like?
As a temporary facility, Albert Park can be quite bumpy - though resurfacing for 2022 will no doubt improve matters - while the circuit at the start of the weekend is often slippery, rubbering in as the sessions progress. It’s also a circuit that requires a well-sorted chassis, with several spots on the track where the drivers require a reactive front end to allow them to chuck it into a corner. Melbourne is also one of the faster tracks on the calendar, with Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 pole lap set at an average of over 235km/h.
Melbourne’s weather is a little like Cape Town’s: unpredictable, moody, and prone to change at a moment’s notice. Generally though, the weather in early Autumn is fine and cool, with the odd chance of rain showers throughout the day. The forecast for the weekend suggests much the same.
The official race notes confirm much the same:
FRIDAY, MARCH 31 – FP1 AND FP2 WEATHER
Conditions: Dry and cloudy conditions at first with an increasing chance of rain in the afternoon.
FP1: 17°C // FP2: 18°C.
Maximum temperature: 19°C
Minimum temperature: 12°C
Chance of rain: 60%
SATURDAY, APRIL 1 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING WEATHER
Conditions: Variable weather conditions throughout the day with sunny spells transition to showers in the morning. However, it is expected to improve in the afternoon.
FP3: 14°C // Q: 15°C.
Maximum temperature: 15°C
Minimum temperature: 11°C
Chance of rain: 40%
SUNDAY, APRIL 2 – RACE WEATHER
Conditions: Likely dry and cloudy during the race, although light southerly wind is expected throughout the day.
Maximum temperature: 19°C
Minimum temperature: 10°C
Chance of rain: <20%
If you’re in need of some light digital reading while you fight the urge to go back to sleep between the early morning sessions, here’s the Official 2023 Australian Grand Prix Digital Race Programme to help keep you awake.
(Works on desktop, but best viewed on mobile.)
Loving the inclusion of some AUSLAN (Australian Sign Langauage) translations and visualisations for some common F1 terms (in the front of the guide - nice work FOM.
Happy race weekend mates! Blimey!
I think you forgot something…
Nope, that is thorough as heck! 
He forgot to mention that its ʞǝǝɔ ǝʍɐɹ.
The real reason Danny Ric went back to Red Bull, just so he could do these again!
oh Darth… 
I saw this earlier the week. I dont think that was DRic in the car MOST of the time… He did some fake Zoom calls and that was it 
wonder how much they reinforced the floor. Or is it fake dirt roads. Tar with some dirt sprinkled on top.
I’m a man looking ahead - I don’t deal in the past 
No Charlie, no, no! That was so not right!
I’m going back to bed. 
Fffffs I overslept a little and come back to this shit. I didn’t see the replays properly, so I’ll just place the blame squarely on Lance Stroll, coz that bra can’t drive(but Le Clerc should also know this and not be too aggressive around him at the start)
And there the red flag absolutely screwed Sainz’s race as well.
That was fully Leclerc’s fault. He was outside going 3 wide.
Russel also out now, oof.
And now I have loadshedding and not at home with my lovely inverter 
Really not liking these over zealous safety car and red flag calls. I say let them race!
It feels a bit like artificially injecting excitement into the GP.
VSC gives plenty of time to clear the track without complety destroying everyone’s strategy and lead they’ve build up over dozens of laps.
Edit: yup, that went exactly as I was expecting, really poor by race control, ruined a really good GP… Oh well.
What an anti climax to an otherwise pretty good race.
