F1 departs the darkness of the desert and heads for autumnal Australia as the start of this season gathers pace.
The first signs of car upgrades, competitive needle and teammate tension are starting to hit the headlines, so let's get this season properly underway at F1's spiritual season opener!
It's only the second race at the revamped Albert Park, and with last year's cars being so immature we may see a slightly different picture this year. It's also the first daytime race of the year, with a tricky track layout and four DRS zones to boot. Sure to shake up the order down under.
Set your alarms for Round 3 of the 2023 Formula One World Championship!
The Circuit
Last year's on-off fourth DRS zone has been reinstated (for now). The track resurfacing has had one year's worth of traffic and weather to bed in, so may be slightly more compliant this year.
Musings for Melbourne
The remarkable Red Bull have left their rivals head scratching at just where they find their speed. Albert Park offers a higher downforce challenge than Jeddah, but should be a simple task for the RB19. A cloud of reliability is starting to form however, with gearbox gremlins appearing already. Championship leader Verstappen is back at full health and will be aiming to quell any building momentum for teammate Perez.
This time last year Aston Martin were spending more time in the Albert Park barriers and gravel than on track. What a turnaround in only 12 months. The AMR23 has proved versatile and quick so far, and should suit the circuit demands better than Saudi. Alonso is aiming for a hat-trick of podiums, and Stroll earmarked this race as his true return to form after his pre-season wrist injury.
For all of their success you can hardly call Mercedes and Ferrari sleeping giants, but they definitely need waking up from their early season slumber. The first set of upgrades should be coming through for the wayward W13, whereas Ferrari can at least attack the weekend without any looming grid penalties. For all of his speed, last year's winner Leclerc only has a measly P7 to show for his efforts so far, and Sainz will hope for a more straightforward weekend after ending last year's grand prix facing backwards in the gravel. The Mercedes duo, too, will be aiming to knock Alonso off the final podium spot, after Russell reluctantly relinquished his inherited podium from Jeddah.
The midfield picture is still forming at this early stage. Alpine confirmed their position as the fifth force last time out, but keep an eye on McLaren. Another Q3 appearance will be welcome relief after an ignominious start for the Woking squad. Norris was off-colour in Jeddah and will want to reassert his position on Piastri's home ground.
Elsewhere, Alfa Romeo's Bahrain pace disappeared in Saudi, as Haas took up the reins as the leading Ferrari customer. Both will be aiming for the lower reaches of the points again, alongside an buoyant Williams who find themselves right in the thick of the action. Albon's tyre-whispering drive to P10 last year was a worthy highlight. Alpha Tauri seem to be this year's tailender, but two valiant, unrewarded drivers from Tsunoda give reason for optimism.
Tyres and Weather
Last year Pirelli offered a compound gap with C2-C3-C5. The thinking behind this year's more orthodox C2-C3-C4 is that the C4 is more attractive than the C5 as a race tyre, so may offer some strategic variance. As Albon showed last year, and the majority of the grid in Saudi, the C2 compound is likely good for the whole race, but it depends how quick it is, after being slow at rear-limited Bahrain but reasonable at front-limited Saudi. Let's see. It would've been nice if Pirelli was a little more aggressive.
Tyre pressures dropped by 1.5psi front, 0.5psi rear compared to last year.
Fri - 18C/64F, cloudy
Sat - 16C/60F, cloudy
Sun - 18C/64F, dry
The cool temperatures and low energy track surface should offer some setup and tyre headaches. Massive track evolution expected considering the bumper schedule.
Schedule
BST CEST Local
FP1 0230 0330 1230
FP2 0600 0700 1600
FP3 0230 0330 1230
Q 0600 0700 1600
R 0600 0700 1500*
*Clocks change in Australia Sunday morning, hence the discrepancy
A massive, brilliant, superb array of track action this weekend. Formula 2, Formula 3, Australian Supercars and Carrera Cup supporting. Full Schedule.
--
Thoughts, predictions, Ricciardo sightings, and Australian themed 80s pop rock other than "Down Under" all welcome below 
Edited by TomNokoe, 28 March 2023 - 21:06.
