The 2023 Australian GP is this weekend’s happening. Read everything you need to know about the race here.
Yes yes yes, it’s time for the 2023 Australian GP already. In your student days, this was the race where you asked yourself: are we going to make it through the night to see the race or are we sleeping through it again?
It is the third race of the calendar, where we hope to get a slightly better picture of the relationships between the teams. Now Albert Park in Melbourne is not a standard track, so certainly not representative for the rest of the season. This is evident from the fact that the winner of the Australian GP rarely becomes world champion of that season.
Calendar GP of Australia 2023
Also this weekend we have to get up early again, especially for the training sessions. At the race it is now better to drink a cup of coffee instead of a lager with a young clear (for standard drinkers only)
Friday March 31
03:30 – 04:30 | Free Practice 1 07:00 – 08:00 | Free practice 2
Saturday April 1
03:30 – 04:30 | Free practice 3 07:00 – 08:00 | Qualification
Sunday April 2
07:00 – 09:00 | Race
GP Australia
The Australian Grand Prix used to be the opening race of the season. Today Bahrain has become that. It’s “that one race that’s hard to start early.” In recent years we have been few in connection with corona. In 2020 it was the opening race for the season, but the pandemic broke out. In 2021, Australia was not done with lockdowns and measures. Last year the gentlemen drivers could show their skills here.
This year we will ride at Albert Park like previous editions, but that has certainly not always been the case. The GP used to be raced on all kinds of circuits, including the circuit of all circuits: Mount Panorama in Bathurst! It was not until 1985 that the race counted for the Formula 1 championship. The venue was the Adelaide circuit. The race was last run at Adelaide in 1995. Damon Hill won this last race of the season. Funny: in 1996 the Australian GP was the first race of the season. Again Williams won this race.
The circuit: Albert Park
Albert Park is a semi-permanent street circuit, just like Montreal (Canada). It is a 5.278 km circuit with 14 corners. There are 4 DRS points especially for this year. Combined with the straights, it is not inconceivable that speeds of 340 km/h will be achieved.
Imagecredit: Formula1.com
In any case, it is a circuit where a lot of engine power comes in handy and aerodynamics are not very important. It is not inconceivable that the Mercedes will come out a little better and that the Ferraris will have a hard time. The track is not extremely demanding for the drivers.
Australian GP 2022
Last year there was a race in Melbourne after a 2 year hiatus. As a result, we have a reasonably good idea of how the cars are performing.
How did qualifying for the 2022 Australian GP go?
There was no problem for Charles Leclerc at that time. He took his second pole in a row, with a time of 1:17.868. Behind them were the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Pérez. Norris was the surprising fourth. The number 5 (Hamilton) was already more than a second slower. Just to indicate how close it is relatively speaking this year.
Who drove the fastest race lap of the 2022 Australian GP?
Charles Leclerc! With a time of 1:20.260 he earned the point for the fastest lap of the race.
What did the podium look like at the 2022 Australian GP?
Verstappen dropped out, Sainz drove moderately and Leclerc was unleashed. In the end, Charles Leclerc won ahead of Sergio Pérez and George Russell.
Australian GP 2023
Of course we also have enough information and context to form a picture for the upcoming Grand Prix:
What about the position at the start of the Australian GP 2023?
Well, ladies and gentlemen. It’s VERY exciting. Especially if you can believe the British press. Pérez seems to be very close to Verstappen’s heels. Verstappen is currently one point ahead of his teammate. The difference with the Scuderia Ferrari and the Mercedes team is already considerable.
Which tires will Pirelli take for the 2023 Australian GP?
Same as previous race: C2 (hard, white), C3 (medium, yellow), C4 (soft, red). Albert Park received a new asphalt layer in 2022 and is quite slippery compared to the other courses. So it may take a while before the men have found grip, but the wear is not too bad.
Information about the straps!
What is the weather forecast for the 2023 Australian GP?
It keeps getting better. It can rain quite a bit on Friday. Especially at the end of the afternoon. The chance that the drivers will get something from this is small. However, the next day they notice that the rubber they have put down has been washed away.
If it rains on Friday, the teams will probably get as many laps as possible during the third free practice. On Saturday it is quite mild (15 degrees). On Sunday there is hardly any wind, lots of sun and it will be 18 degrees.
What chances does Max Verstappen have for the Australian GP 2023?
In principle, it is a cat in the box for Verstappen. He has the fastest car and he has (almost completely) recovered from a flu virus. The Red Bull is very fast on the straight and they have a lot of that at Albert Park. In the past, Australia has never been a successful GP for Red Bull, but in the past they mainly had a car that was strong in the corners and less so on the straight.
The only driver who can bother Verstappen seems to be Sergio Pérez. He’s in great shape, having just finished a win and handling the RB19 well. Pérez also always does well at these kinds of circuits. It sounds arrogant (and it is), but anything less than profit for Verstappen is still a slight disappointment.
What chances does Nyck de Vries have for the 2023 Australian GP?
In the Netherlands we are very spoiled with Verstappen’s performance, but De Vries is not doing it wrong either. Sure, he doesn’t win races (and doesn’t score points). It could only be that the AlphaTauri (together with the updates) comes out a little better. If he now manages to reach Q2 in qualifying, we will see him get a point on Sunday. Yes really.
What are the betting offices saying about the 2023 Australian GP?
Well, the three drivers who were on the podium in 2023 will do so again, according to the betting offices. The big favorite is Max Verstappen, ahead of Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc. It is striking that confidence in Stroll is lower than in both Mercedes and Ferrari drivers (while Nyck de Vries is in the lower regions, but ahead of Tsunoda.
Where can I follow the 2023 Australian GP
At first you have to make sure you are awake on time! Then you have a few choices:
F1TV
If you have any doubts about waking up on time, you can watch via F1TV. You can easily watch the race there. Turn off your phone, of course. You have F1TV for 64.99 euros per month. You can follow the entire weekend: all training sessions, qualifying and the race. You can also view the before and after reviews. By default you will receive Dutch comments from ViaPlay, but you can change this by changing the language of your device to English. Then you get British commentary.
ViaPlay
We just mentioned them, but ViaPlay is the way for the Dutchman to follow the race. A subscription per month is very expensive, but for that you not only get F1, you can also follow all kinds of series, films and Bundesliga football. It’s a shame if you’re all about F1, but not bad if you want to convince your girlfriend of ViaPlay (because The Real Housewives series are on it!).
VPN
A less expensive method is to use a VPN and look up RTL Luxembourg or ORF1. They broadcast the race online in high quality. ORF regularly has Austrian celebrities in front of the microphone (of which Helmut Marko is the most entertaining).
Streams
Yes, you can search for streams. Here we have listed a few. However, we do not recommend it. The quality is mediocre, they are quite behind (if they don’t get stuck) and you just have to be lucky with the language.
Radio Grand Prize
In all cases, if you don’t like the commentary, you can listen to Olav Mol. Then you have the old trusted F1 sound in your ear cups. With a slider you can let the race run synchronously with the race. Before the race, Mol will tell you exactly WHAT he is, so that you know whether you are ahead or behind. Handy huh?
What is the prediction of the AB editors?
Name Gaston Mazzacane, Perry McCarthy or Taki Inoue and we have three editors who are at least as good. Not in driving, but in predicting races. @michaelras, @wouter and @jaapiyo also have their scientifically based gut feeling about the 2023 Australian GP:
Michael
Verstappen
Alonso
Hamilton
Then you go through our F1 data and you see that Leclerc won it last year and before that Bottas and before that 2 years Vettel. I don’t think they’re going to catch him this year (some of them I’m sure…)
If the requirement is that it will be fun on the return flight, then the condition is that Max wins and Sergio drops out. Otherwise mister will not like it anymore. I wish that for everyone. Because it’s a really long flight back!
Michael, has to be the Eddie Jordan of editors-in-chief.
Wouter
Verstappen Perez Alonso
If you’re that dominant, just grab him. This applies to both Red Bull as a team, but also to Verstappen. Perez can keep up a bit on street circuits, but that’s about it. With the equal opportunities and the equal car, Max also drives snot in the eye on a Checo street circuit. Max didn’t hand out presents when he was already world champion, so certainly not now.
Wouter, was in class with someone who looked like Jos Verstappen’s classmate. So.
Jaap
Verstappen Perez Alonso
The Australian Grand Prix is not the best for Red Bull. Despite several titles in the past 15 years, the team only won once. That was with Vettel in 2011 again.
Home heroes Ricciardo and Webber, much to their chagrin, never really managed to impress Albert Park (except for Webber finishing 5th on his debut for Minardi in 2002). Verstappen also failed to win.
This year that will be different, because of course Verstappen just takes it this year. Does he have something to fear from Perez? Yes, because the Mexican is always good on street circuits. But Max is keen not to give his teammate any gifts or momentum. He knows that Sergio is the only real (sort of) threat to the title this year.
Alonso is just third again. There’s no reason to expect anyone else. The Rees tendon is just not there at Ferrari and Mercedes. And Stroll is just a little too light to eat Alonso the cheese of the bread. At least, he will probably succeed a handful of times this year. The Canadian always has a few outliers. But not yet in Australia.
Jaapiyo, identifies with Nigel Mansell (facial hair).
Autoblog will cover qualifying and race. Of course we will keep you informed if anything interesting happens during the free practice sessions.
This article GP Australia 2023: times and what you need to know appeared first on Ruetir.
