The Australian Grand Prix (3pm AEDT) is almost here with Oscar Piastri looking to end the nation’s curse at its home race, and Daniel Ricciardo hoping to charge from the back of the field.
Ricciardo will start in 18th after his best lap time in qualifying was deleted on Saturday due to him exceeding track limits.
RACE CENTRE: Australian Grand Prix, times, standings
Mixed day for Aussies in Melbourne | 02:10
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With little to lose, RB has opted to make significant changes to his car, changing his internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger (TC), major generator unit-heat (MGU-H), major generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K) and exhaust system (EX), all without penalty.
Speaking about his race prospects, he said: “A good sleep, a new day, new opportunity. Just obviously want to do well at home, that’s something I’d love to do more than anything.
“I’ve got a lot of cars in front, not really anyone behind – so I’ll definitely be going in one direction and hopefully get a few victims along the way.”
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His compatriot Piastri, meanwhile, will start from fifth and is a genuine smoky to become the first Australian to stand on the podium in Melbourne since Ricciardo did in 2014, only to be disqualified due to a non-compliant Red Bull.
Piastri was fast during practice and said he was guilty of making too many mistakes in qualifying, with his sixth-fastest time.
He will, however, start from fifth thanks to a penalty to Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, giving him a big boost in his fight for a podium.
“There’s a huge, huge amount of confidence around the possibility of this guy,” Neil Crompton said on Fox Sports:
“Zak Brown is fond of him, Mark Webber is in behind him. Ann and Mark Webber have been looking after him now for the last several years.
“They even said to me this morning they think he’s a fair chance of a podium this afternoon.”
Piastri told media after qualifying that he’s feeling more relaxed at his home Grand Prix this year compared to his debut in 2023.
“I came here last year and we’d had a tough start to the year and I was still trying to prove myself in F1,” he said. “This year it feels much different. I feel like I don’t have that kind of pressure. I’m treating it (as) more of a normal weekend, let’s say.
“It’s been nice to have all the home support. I think we’ve done a good job managing the workload, it’s been hectic but it’s been good.”
On Sunday, he said that McLaren’s pace had been a “surprise”, and that it “won’t take much to get on the podium.”
Meanwhile, Fox Sports host Jess Yates said Sunday is a massive chance in the young career of the Australian.
“You cannot understate the enormity of this moment for Oscar Piastri,” she said. “Juggling a lot of plates, isn’t he, and he’s doing a really good job in the infancy of his full-time Formula 1 career.
“Every Australian here and right around the country is absolutely riding him today.”
STARTING GRID
1. Max Verstappen
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Lando Norris
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Oscar Piastri
6. Sergio Perez*
7. George Russell
8. Yuki Tsunoda
9. Lance Stroll
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Lewis Hamilton
12. Alex Albon
13. Valtteri Bottas
14. Kevin Magnussen
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Nico Hulkenberg
17. Pierre Gasly
18. Daniel Ricciardo
19. Zhou Guanyu
*Sergio Perez was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying
Sunday, March 24
9.05am – 9.50am: Formula 3 Feature Race
11.35am – 12.35pm: Formula 2 Feature Race
1pm-1.30pm- F1 drivers’ parade
3pm-6pm: F1 race (58 laps)
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RICCIARDO RIVAL’S BRAZEN MEETING WITH RED BULL SUPREMO
Helmut Marko and Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson were engaged in a long and jovial chat on the RB doorstep in the F1 paddock on Sunday ahead of the Australian Grand Prix (3pm AEDT).
The meeting is not unusual in itself with Lawson coming through Red Bull’s ranks under the eye of Marko.
But the optics of Marko brazenly speaking in-depth with Lawson, as well as team chief Peter Bayer, will not be lost on Daniel Ricciardo fans.
Lawson was Ricciardo’s nearest competitor for a seat at RB, and even replaced the Australian while he was injured last season with a broken hand.
He performed well, and has made it no secret that he feels ready to replace Ricciardo should the team wish to make the switch.
Again, it’s important to stress that Marko and Lawson regularly cross paths and speak.
But it was the brazen nature of the conversation – at Ricciardo’s Grand Prix a day after a new season low for the veteran – that is hard to ignore.
Nothing happens outside the four walls of a team’s paddock hospitality suite in secret. At any given moment, a dozen TV crews from across the globe, or one of the hundreds of photographers and journalists on location, will spot it.
No one even remotely involved in F1 is oblivious to that fact, much less Marko who is a seasoned pro when it comes to using the media to send a message.
Which is why the decision to meet with Bayer on the team’s doorstep, and then bring in Lawson to happily chat for about 10 minutes, may not be completely without purpose.
The three men appeared comfortable with the fact that a camera crew and multiple photographers caught on, and captured the moment witnessed by Fox Sports Australia.
Ricciardo will start Sunday’s race from 18th after his best lap time on Saturday was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Mixed day for Aussies in Melbourne | 02:10
DOKIC SHOCK VICTIM OF ALONSO OFF
While the likelihood of being hurt watching F1 is miniscule, there is a small chance — which is why tickets come with an important disclaimer.
But it’s hard to even begin to compute the unlikelyness of someone getting hurt who is a well-known public figure.
And yet that’s what happened on Saturday when Fernando Alonso ran wide in his Aston Martin and kicked up some gravel.
The gravel flew from the speed trap, and into the crowd where it struck former Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic.
Dokic revealed via social media that gravel hit her in the face while she was watching from the Mercedes AMG lounge.
“When you go to the Formula One weekend at the Australian Grand Prix and a car going off track happens right in front of you, literally and all the rock debris flies right into your eye,” Dokic posted.
“Fernando Alonso ran off the track and the rock debris that you see flying off the back wheels went straight into my right eye.
“Had to get treated for it but all good. Just a bloodshot and scratched eye. I will survive.
“Amazing and quick work by the paramedic at Mercedes-AMG Lounge. Thank you all that took care of me. I am all good. Ready to watch some more F1.”
‘PLAY THE LONG GAME’ — WHY RICCIARDO CAN ‘CHARGE THROUGH THE FIELD’
Daniel Ricciardo had a horror Saturday on home soil and will start from the last row of the grid for the Australian Grand Prix at 3pm.
But he’s still hopeful of “charging through the field” in this afternoon’s race around Albert Park in Melbourne.
Ricciardo qualified just 18th – second-slowest – after having a lap time deleted in qualifying for exceeding track limits.
But history shows that there’s still hope he can claim what would be a hugely valuable points finish.
In last year’s race, a full eight drivers failed to finish amid a series of chaotic accidents. The race was red-flagged three times, with seven drivers eliminated due to accidents or crashes, while Mercedes’ George Russell suffered an engine issue that ended his race prematurely.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull went from a pit-lane start – effectively last – to finish fifth, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll surged from 17th to fourth despite an early collision before running through the gravel in the closing stages.
The year before, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull caught fire after a fuel leak, legendary multiple champion Sebastian Vettel crashed out, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz also failed to finish after an early off-track.
So anything can happen – even if the outlook is dire.
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Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok said Ricciardo will need to remain patient.
“He’s just going to have to survive in some ways because this is a track where we’ve seen incidents and there’s a bit of jeopardy involved,” he said.
“Maybe that is something where he’s just going to play the long game and try to stay clean for the first lap and see how it unfolds.”
And Ricciardo told Sky F1 that despite the “painful” failure in qualifying, he hopes he can go “charging through the field.”