[OptimusPrime1]

Get ready to experience the thrill of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit. It's time to witness speed, excitement, and adrenaline!

Qualifying:23rd March 2024 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM IST.

Race:24th March 2024 at 9:30 AM IST.

Where To Watch: Please click here for detailed information. (FanCode to stream F1 races in India; watch a race for Rs 49)



Circuit Stats:





For more info: Click here.

FP1 & FP2:
After witnessing the commanding pace of Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen at the first two races of the season, it's quite clear who's going to win the race here at Melbourne.

Following FP1 and FP2, several teams are struggling to find the right balance in their cars.





While Ferrari seems to be in good shape and quite quick, Mercedes, especially in the hands of Sir Lewis Hamilton, looks to be a bit further back in the pack.



Albon's crash in FP1 rendered the car irreparable for the rest of the weekend at the track as Williams didn't have a spare chasis of their car.They have taken the decision to let Albon drive Sargeant's car for the rest of the weekend and therefore,Logan wouldn't be able to take part in this weekend any further.There have been varied thoughts in the paddock regarding this decision.


Sources:
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2...a/Circuit.html
https://www.the-race.com/

[Thalla]

Big blow for Williams as they would be going only with one car in the race and even bigger blow for Logan Sargeant who's not going to take further part in the Australian GP as Albon will be driving his car.

[volkman10]

Max's domination continues as he secures pole position in the qualifying.

[volkman10]

Perez handed three-place grid penalty for Australian Grand Prix after impeding incident.

Sergio Perez will drop three grid positions for the Australian Grand Prix after receiving a penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg during qualifying.

The incident occurred in Q1 of the hour when Hulkenberg was forced to take avoiding action on his flying lap after encountering Perez – on an out lap – into Turn 13.

Perez had originally qualified in P3, meaning that he will now start from P6. This will promote the drivers behind, with Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri all moving up a place.


Link:

[speedmiester]

Great Race for Ferrari. 1 and 2 in the 3rd race is encouraging sign for the season.
Hopefully we see good racing through the season.

Sainz drove a good race to capitalize on Max's retirement.

[ex-innova-guy]

Race Result


I was travelling, so I missed watching a race after a long time. What happened in the race?

- Ferrari 1-2
- McLaren 3-4
- Haas secured points by both their cars
- Double DNF for Mercedes

I guess I need to stop watching F1 if that makes Ferrari wins races! Very happy for Ferrari, but Ferrari now has 2 wins over the last 2 years. Guess how many Leclerc has?

[Hayek]

Great race. Unfortunately missed the start and Verstappen was out before I started watching but I will take it any day. Delighted to see a Ferrari 1-2 and Sainz win, after having seen him win live in Singapore.

What a turnaround for Sainz! From being dropped by the Team before Race 1 to an appendectomy in Race 2 and a flawless win in Race 3.

Perez was decidedly mediocre through the race - makes me wonder how much of Red Bull and Verstappen’s dominance is the driver as opposed to the car.

[Dippy]

As a Ferrari fan, I really didnt know when I would see this day of a 1-2 finish. What a perfect race driven by Carlos. he is really proving a point after the team dropped him. Im sure he will be fantastic through out this season. The Ferraris really had pace today.

Good to see Ferrari & Mclaren in the top 4, like the good ol' racing days.

Perez was clearly ordinary today and he couldn't do much. Just goes to show what an edge Max has.

Mercedes is clearly on the backfoot. A double DNF is something they didnt want. Im sure Lewis was smiling in the garage seeing the Scuderia 1-2

Hope to see more wins from the Prancing Horse this season. Today's race was fun after a long time.

Off to Japan it is.

[volkman10]

The points table so far, for 2024:

[ex-innova-guy]

Updated Race Result


Fernando Alonso demoted to P8 from earlier P6 after receiving a 20-second time penalty and also been handed 3 penalty points.

Following the Australian Grand Prix after the stewards determined that his driving before George Russell crashed out of proceedings was “potentially dangerous”.

Mercedes driver Russell had been hunting down Alonso with fresher tyres in the closing stages of the race and approached the rear of his relatively slow-moving Aston Martin rival at the Turn 6/7 complex on the final lap, subsequently losing control and slamming into the barriers.

The stewards noted the incident in the minutes after the race and, after reviewing the footage available and speaking to both drivers, handed Alonso a drive-through penalty that is converted to 20 seconds, dropping him from sixth to eighth place – promoting team mate Lance Stroll and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Source

[Thalla]

Yuki looks to be on a mission to end Ricciardo's F1 career.

[motorworks]

What a race! Absolutely fantastic to have a 1-2 Ferrari finish!

Sure, this happened due to the mechanical failure of the lead Redbull, but its on days like these that other teams have to really capitalise and Ferrari made no mistake today. Sainz has always been known for great race craft, but he is now making a statement that he can be fast in qualifying as well.
A bittersweet moment though, Ferrari letting go off Sainz in favour of Hamilton, when he really is quite good and while Hamilton on the other hand seems to be struggling more than a fair bit.

If you are Mercedes, you got to sign Sainz now. When Hamilton leaves, the team needs someone who is fast and consistent. Unfortunately, Russell is proving to be a bit erratic ( not just because of the accident in the Australian GP), so Sainz will bring that experience and also a fair bit of consistency. If they cant get Max ( very unlikely), Mercedes should get Sainz.

Mclaren too had a great race, Norris showing that they can take the fight to Ferrari. But their car’s performance seems a bit track dependent, we will have to wait and watch.

Redbull, these are the days that Perez should be winning. Just look at where he finished, i mean how far he was actually off the top 3, in a race where he didn’t encounter any problems. He should have been at least in the mix for the top 3. Again reiterates the point that Redbull should have some one else as their second driver. They have been immensely patient with Perez and Ricciardo and have been unfair with people like Gasly and Albon. Beats me!

[Scarlet_Rider]

Alonso's penalty was pretty harsh considering that the stewards did not have 'sufficient information'.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...iJqk4P7624Qkqu

[jomyboy]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

Alonso's penalty was pretty harsh considering that the stewards did not have 'sufficient information'.

I think it was the right call and Aston Martin have accepted it. Plenty of evidence to show how it affected Russell. There should be a precedence and I am glad Herbert took a great call, otherwise henceforth you would have everyone playing with their brakes and throttle on entry into fast corners saying it is defensive tactic.

[avdhesh15]

Looking at this race, red bull should sign Sainz immediately.

Perez continues to be average and is scoring points only due the car. Which gives me the feeling that Max and Sainz would be very well matched.

Riccardo is not showing any sparks.

[EDIT] just saw this - https://www.espn.in/f1/story/_/id/39...ull-drive-2025