- Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could challenge Max Verstappen for the Australian Grand Prix win.
- Fernando Alonso is within a shot of finishing the race on the podium.
- Red Bull is nursing technical gremlins, which could benefit the team’s rivals.
While Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, it can’t be denied that it was not a smooth session for the Red Bull driver.
We discuss this and more.
1 Red Bull’s reliability
The last race out in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen’s race got turned upside down when a technical issue forced him out of qualifying and having to start the race down in 15th. This weekend, both he and his teammate Sergio Perez dealt with issues.
The defending champion struggled with the shifts on his gearbox, while Perez had to contend with brake issues. These issues limited his running in Third Practice, while in qualifying, it brought his session to an early halt.
“I hope we are able to fix the technical issue for [the race]; otherwise it will be really hard to race like this,” Perez said.
“We are confident that together as a team, we will be able to sort it out because it’s very important that we do so.
Perez will start the race down in 20th.
If the issues continue into the race, one or both of the Red Bull drivers could be at risk of not finishing the race, opening the door for a rival team to (possibly!) secure the win.
2 Mercedes ready to pounce
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have turned a new performance leave in Australia, qualifying second and third behind Verstappen. It was a positive showing from the two Mercedes-AMG drivers, with Russell admitting that the car felt hooked up and that it’s hard to accept that they are not starting from the front.
“What a session for us. The car felt alive, and to be honest, I’m disappointed I didn’t get pole as the car felt awesome,” Russell said.
“We are learning more and more about the car. It’s still not where we want it to be, but it’s evolved from Bahrain to Jeddah to here.”
While the circuits in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia exposed the W14’s weaknesses, there was nothing of the sort in Australia, and the Silver Arrows are looking poised for a good result in Sunday’s race.
Hamilton may be ready to challenge for the win, but unless poor luck is strewn in Red Bull’s way, second place could be the best finishing position the team can hope for.
3 Can Alonso still challenge?
Fernando Alonso looked good throughout the weekend in his Aston Martin, but at the business end of qualifying, he could only muster fourth on the grid. This is slightly strange, given that his AMR23 is the second-quickest car on the grid.
But as we’ve learned, each track on the 23-race calendar offers a different challenge, and each car’s peak performance will be circuit dependent. However, while Albert Park Circuit brought out the best in Mercedes, it’s by no means an indication that Alonso’s Aston Martin lost its performance potential.
Though he’s starting behind Verstappen and the two Mercedes stars, Alonso remained positive over his chances in the race.
“The circuit was difficult to judge at times, with changeable temperatures and weather. We seemed to improve in every session, though, and the car felt good to drive,” said the two-time world champion.
“Overall, I think it was probably our best qualifying session so far this season and our closest gap to pole position.
“We will see what we can do on Sunday, because our race pace seems to be one of our strengths. We are expecting it to be difficult to overtake, but in these cooler conditions, it will be an interesting race with lots of unknowns.”
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