F1: Australian Grand Prix – live | Formula One

Here we go !

1/58 Crazy start as Max Verstappen misses the start and immediately falls back to third position. Instead, it was Russell and Hamilton who fought their way to 1-2 and last year’s winner Charles Leclerc escaped after 1.2km! The safety car is out.

The tire covers are removed and we see mostly… mediums. It seems no one is rolling the dice on softs. There are too many unknowns and everyone is playing it safe for now. This will change – but when? Let’s go for the formation lap.

This year’s talking point is a resurfaced track at Albert Park with some radical changes. Organizers have introduced a fourth DRS zone at the back of the circuit between turns 6 and 11, and removed the chicane at turns 9 and 10. Max Verstappen’s drastic remodeling and record lap times in yesterday’s qualifying fuel the hope that this year’s Australian GP will be the “fastest race ever in Melbourne”. We’re about to find out if that’s true…

Can McLaren score their first points of 2023? In a turbulent season so far, they had another disappointing day in qualifying, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing 13th and 16th on the grid.

However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown likes their chances: “I think we can get both cars into the points. It’s so close, but I’m confident for today,” he told reporters. “We should be higher; it’s not where we should be, but we’ll keep our heads down.

Speaking of heads, Max Verstappen has his in his helmet and his eyes on the prize. We’re getting closer to lights out, folks.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is on the grid with a smile on his face and pep in his step. He has Russell and Hamilton in second and third but, with five minutes before lights out and a sudden and unexpected upset win in the breeze, he’s also a bit stressed: “There are no miracles”, we he said.

With Verstappen in #1 and Sergio Pérez in #20 from the pitsChristian Horner says: “It’s a Red Bull sandwich with a lot of meat in the middle.

From the singing parakeet to the flying Scotsman… the familiar flat cap of Jackie Stewart, now 83, mingles with VIPs and, like the rest of the F1 family, the three-time world champion tips Red Bull for the lollipops.

Anthem time…

The stars are on the right track. Melbourne’s favorite son is Oscar Piastri today, but Melbourne’s favorite daughter, the one and only Kylie Minogue, is on the right track and talking to Red Bull’s Christian Horner. Does he do Locomotion? No, but her wheels seem to be turning while talking to the little princess of pop.

Last year’s Australian Grand Prix was the first since the pandemic halted the 2020 edition. The 2022 race was symbolic of a next phase of Covid-19 and the return of a major international sporting event to Australia, following prolonged lockdowns and international border closures. Of course, no city in the world has been more locked down than Melbourne, so 2023 looks like business as usual: Formula 1 is getting better and better, with Melbourne providing a seamless backdrop.

Of course, one crucial element is missing for the Australians this year…

F1 season traditionally kicks off in Melbourne but this year Albert Park hosts the third race on the 2023 calendar. A record 419,114 fans attended the Australian GP last year, making it the biggest sporting weekend in Melbourne’s history . With perfect picture conditions and plenty of excitement in the works, will the record be broken today?

Kieran Pender is on board and believes: “Albert Park is packed with what appears to be record crowds, after the best attendance on record since action began on Thursday. THE Netflix Drive to Survive The effect is evident, with a new, younger and more diverse clientele (long queues for women’s toilets suggest organizers did not fully anticipate the considerable demographic change).

As he struggles to get his back on track, our correspondent Kieran Pender dropped off this weather report from the 20-minute queue for ice cream…

“Conditions are perfect ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park this afternoon. After a series of adverse weather conditions in practice and qualifying, Melbourne set things alight today with blazing sunshine, a light breeze and not a drop of humidity.

“Conditions strongly favor reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, who took pole position yesterday and has a car that handles the fastest in hotter conditions. Verstappen has never won the Australian Grand Prix , but he will be tough to beat today.”

And as if 58 laps of racing wasn’t exciting enoughMad Max has blown a new fuse in Formula 1 by threatening to leave the sport of which he is champion…

It was a fast and furious qualifying frenzy as Melbourne churned out four seasons conditions in one day to test drivers, crews and spectators. Here’s how Giles Richards saw it…

Preamble