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The second and final hour of running in the 2023 F1 Australian GP ended with Fernando Alonso on top of the standings as rain curtailed proceedings for everyone involved.
Rain was forecast for Friday and Saturday and it disrupted proceedings in FP2. Teams were unable to complete much running as after the first 20 mins of the session, the downpour intensified.
When the checkered flag came out after an hour of running (most of it in the wet weather), we had Fernando Alonso at the top of the standings followed by Charles Leclerc in P2. Max Verstappen was P3 with George Russell in P4 followed by Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon in P5 and P6.
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So after the first day of running at the 2023 F1 Australian GP is done and dusted, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Australian GP FP2: Key Takeaways
#1 Teams will be hoping for a dry FP3
In a week where the F1 supremo has alluded to the reduction in Free Practice sessions, the 2023 Australian GP is proving to be a case study for the same. The teams have had roughly an hour and some change in terms of practice for the race and on the outside, it does appear that there is a lack of understanding of how they will tackle the rest of the weekend.
Simulation tools for these teams tend to come to the rescue, but nothing beats actual track time. Teams will be hoping for a dry FP3 (Sunday forecast is dry) because if it isn't, there will be a blind spot for the rest of the weekend.
#2 Red Bull is still the class of the field
There are some pains that the Red Bull machine might need to overcome for the 2023 F1 Australian GP, but it's hard to deny that the car still looks like the class of the field already. The lap time in FP1 is a clear indication of that as Max Verstappen enjoyed around half a second buffer in that session.
Red Bull will be happy if the rain stays away for the rest of the weekend, but even if it doesn't, the team has two very capable drivers in the wets to overcome any challenge. It's advantage Red Bull already, and we've not even seen the team unleash everything (isn't that scary?).
#3 Rain could mix things up in qualifying
Fans will be hoping for rain to mix things up in qualifying and looking at the Formula 2 qualifying session, it's safe to say that this could definitely happen. Jack Doohan, the driver who topped the Free Practice session, ended only P14 in qualifying due to a Red Flag. This shows that unexpected things can happen in the race.
Teams are already not entirely confident with the cars at their disposal. Add to it, the fact that Albert Park is a street circuit, and those white lines in the middle of the track could be slippery. We can't rule anything out as rain could possibly mix things up for the 2023 F1 Australian GP.
#4 Aston Martin and Mclaren have potential to surprise
The verdict from everyone after whatever running has been done is that Aston Martin and McLaren appear to have the potential to surprise. When it comes to Aston Martin, the team suffered a lot with a low top speed in Jeddah, which was one of the reasons why Alonso was a bit of a sitting duck on the straights.
Albert Park, however, offers a peculiar challenge, as it rewards a car's ability to get up to speed earlier than others while top speed is not necessarily the most important thing.
This was evident last season as well when Ferrari's ability to be quicker in traction zones helped them gain a distinct advantage over Red Bull. Aston Martin holds similar characteristics and could be closer to Red Bull at the 2023 F1 Australian GP.
McLaren, on the other hand, have looked like a handy machinery in the hands of both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. A few drops of rain tend to help Norris shine and we could see the same this time around as well.
#5 The 4th DRS zone could make things interesting
Unless rain does feature in the race, the 4th DRS zone is going to make things very interesting. Although initially, many drivers dismissed the significance of the 4th zone. It does appear that the DRS through the curvature could prove to be handy. Keep an eye on that zone as many drivers can target a maneuver through that section during the 2023 F1 Australian GP.
