The first serious action of the 2018 F1 season is about to begin. Here are five talking points for the first race of the new championship.
Is the title fight on for 2018?
Last year was the most competitive season since the current V6 hybrid turbo rules were introduced, and the first time more than two different manufacturers won races. Will Ferrari and Red Bull be as consistent a threat to Mercedes as they were last year?
Testing, naturally, gave few clues to the pecking order. And not just because the teams have no cause to show their hand: cool conditions made for largely unrepresentative running.
Was Ferrari’s pace-setting performance in testing a reflection of whether they stand? Will Mercedes re-establish their pre-2017 advantage? And have Red Bull sustained the development momentum they’d built up at the end of last year? We will finally begin to get genuine answers to these questions on Friday.
Is McLaren’s confidence justified?
Despite covering fewer laps than any team in testing, McLaren is upbeat about its prospects following its off-season change of engine supplier.
This time last year just one of their cars was running at the end of the race, two laps down. While Fernando Alonso expects the opening weekend of the season will be the low point in terms of their performance this year, there will be disappointment if they don’t improve considerably on their 2017 showing.
Have Honda finally come good?
The flip-side to McLaren’s situation is what’s going on at Honda. Their power units ran reliably in the back of the Toro Rossos during pre-season testing, though a key unknown here is how many units were used.
Speaking to media in Melbourne on Thursday Brendon Hartley downplayed suggestions they could be contenders for Q3 as they were 12 months ago.
“After Barcelona, all the testing, you start to get a picture of where we’re lining up,” he said. “But that being said everyone’s been working hard in the last two weeks to unlock all the potential of the car. All the other teams will be doing the same.”
“We also don’t know what fuel loads or engine modes all the other teams used. Honestly it’s hard to give an answer on exactly where we want to be. Obviously top 10 would be the dream but we know that’s going to be a very tough ask.”
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Will an extra DRS zone improve the action?
Melbourne has always been one of the more challenging circuits for overtaking. Drivers estimate they need a performance advantage of around two seconds per laps to stand a chance of passing.
In an attempt to improve the situation the FIA has added a new DRS zone to the track this year. It’s the first time a track has had three DRS zones, but drivers are divided over whether it will make a difference. Sergio Perez believes it won’t help at all, but Daniel Ricciardo thinks it could.
“I don’t think it hurts,” he said. “It’s typically been a pretty hard track to overtake.”
“I think, as well, with the cars, we’re going faster and faster and following a car is getting harder and harder at some circuits, so I think they’ve been proactive and tried to help out a cause here. I don’t know if it will necessarily create overtaking into that corner but it may at least put you into the zone to then have a chance somewhere else.”
Can Melbourne tell us anything about the year ahead?
Albert Park is an unusual circuit: Stop-start in nature, fairly low-grip and with few long straights. It’s not completely unlike anything else on the calendar but it is unusual. That combined with the fact it usually holds the first race of the season means it tends not to be very representative of the rest of the season.
On top of that there’s rain forecast for qualifying and race day. That could create an unpredictable race, as we’ve seen on several past occasions in Melbourne, but we may end up knowing little more about the true pecking order come Sunday evening than we do now.
Are you going to the Australian Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Australia for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:
2018 Australian Grand Prix
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- Vote for your 2018 Australian Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend
OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
22nd March 2018, 18:25
Another one @keithcollantine … Will we have the Predictions championship ready for Australia?
Tango (@tango)
22nd March 2018, 19:43
Oh yes!
Hugh (@hugh11)
22nd March 2018, 18:45
Forgot about Vettel’s haircut… It must make him more aerodynamic or something, only explanation for it. It looks like his forehead’s been stretched upwards
akshay.it (@akshay-it)
22nd March 2018, 19:55
Vettel is just trying to beat Hamilton
Boomerang
22nd March 2018, 21:00
Just trying? You can’t say that he’s aiming low, don’t you!?
mmertens (@mmertens)
22nd March 2018, 21:46
I think he’s got the inspiration from Forrest Gump! Run Vettel, run!
RP (@slotopen)
23rd March 2018, 0:45
@akshay-it
Thankfully for Vettel he didn’t start by copying Hamilton’s tattoos. The hair will grow back.
Although the #1 finger would be a good alternative to “still I rise”
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd March 2018, 21:47
expect a lot of undercuts
petebaldwin (@)
22nd March 2018, 22:00
I’ve done some digging a source has provided me with photographic evidence to prove that Seb was half way through a hair-cut before suddenly realising he was late for a meeting at the factory.
https://i.imgur.com/DhOFEDy.png
faulty (@faulty)
22nd March 2018, 22:25
He looks like Bert from Sesame Street.
Jere (@jerejj)
22nd March 2018, 19:03
TBH all the straights of this circuit are relatively short actually even the longest one, so, therefore, I wouldn’t use the word ‘long’ when talking about the any straight of the Albert Park Circuit.
Boomerzoomer (@boomerzoomer)
22nd March 2018, 22:11
About the only things likely to be ‘long’ will be Sauber’s and Williams’ days.
Patrick (@anunaki)
22nd March 2018, 21:53
I really hope the redbull is good enough for Max to challenge Lewis. That would make an awesome season
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd March 2018, 21:57
If it does rain, it could also be the first race Ericsson finishes in wet conditions?
Esploratore (@esploratore)
23rd March 2018, 2:57
Don’t get your hopes up!
Joao (@johnmilk)
23rd March 2018, 10:59
C’mon @esploratore I was so so optimistic
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
22nd March 2018, 23:20
He was classified in Japan 2014. But that may be it.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
22nd March 2018, 23:21
@johnmilk
Joao (@johnmilk)
23rd March 2018, 10:58
@thegianthogweed doesn’t look good
But better not to even remember that race