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The 2024 F1 Australian GP will be the third race on the calendar, as Red Bull continues to dominate the sport. The first two races have surely indicated that Max Verstappen is more or less poised to continue in the same vein as he did last year.
The first two races have seen him secure pole position and a win as he heads into the F1 Australian GP race weekend already on a nine-race win streak. The off-track has also caught the attention of everyone, as the political tension within Red Bull is a major talking point as well.
The race is also important for home heroes, as this time around there will be two Aussies, Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri, on the grid. So what can we expect from the F1 Australian GP? Let's take a look.
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2024 F1 Australian GP: Preview
Key Storylines
#1 Red Bull political drama
Like it or not, the 2024 F1 Australian GP is going to be dominated by Red Bull on track and off it. The drama is far from resolved, with reports emerging that the Christian Horner complainant has filed a grievance with the FIA.
To add to this, there's hardly been a sign of truce from either side. While, in all likelihood, the Red Bull car would dominate the F1 Australian GP weekend on track, it would do the same off it as well.
#2 Mercedes form guide
If we hear the noises that Mercedes has been making after Jeddah, the team does not sound confident about its car. Unfortunately, this brings back memories of the last two torrid seasons where the team had no clue how to make the car work. The F1 Australian GP is going to be very interesting as the team ventures into unknown territory this weekend.
#3 Carlos Sainz's return
Carlos Sainz had to miss the race in Jeddah, and while the driver was back in Ferrari colors watching the proceedings from the pits, it's still not sure whether he's race-fit or not.
The Spaniard does not have a contract for 2025 and needs every race to show what he can do. He would not want to miss the race in Melbourne, but it remains to be seen if he's fully fit to go through with this.
Form Guide
In form
Ferrari has asserted itself as the second-best team and has been able to put together a couple of podiums as well. In Charles Leclerc, the team has a driver who has put the car on the front row in the last two races. Heading to the 2024 F1 Australian GP, the team will be hoping to continue the journey of getting closer to the front and, if possible, beat one of the Red Bulls as well.
Out of form
Daniel Ricciardo has not had the best start to the season. The Australian has been outqualified in both races by his teammate and will be desperate to put together a better result in his home race.
2024 F1 Australian GP: Predictions
Who will win the race?
Not a tough answer to this one as Max Verstappen holds a clear advantage over everyone else on the field. The Red Bull driver is the favorite to match his record of 10 consecutive wins at the F1 Australian GP.
The surprise of the weekend (Team)
McLaren might be a wildcard this weekend because the car tends to work brilliantly in the fast-speed sections. While the third sector is the one that could work against the car, overall, McLaren could be the third fastest car this weekend.
The surprise of the weekend (Driver)
Nico Hulkenberg was brilliant in the first race of the season in Bahrain, and he backed it up by helping the team score a point in the second race in Jeddah. The driver scored points for the team in Australia last season as well and expect him to do something similar this time around as well.
Disappointment of the weekend (Team)
Mercedes does not look confident at all in the car it has at its disposal and the fast speed sections might just be its kryptonite by the looks of it. The car might struggle at the F1 Australian GP as the team tries to bounce back to respectability of some sort.
Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)
Lance Stroll has not had the best of starts to his season. He did score a point in Bahrain, but he was also too far behind Alonso in qualifying. In Jeddah, the Canadian crashed out by hitting the wall. While the driver would be hoping to get back to a level of consistency, it's just hard to bet on Lance after looking at his track record.
