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The 2024 F1 Australian GP comes at a crucial time for many drivers. The season has kicked off with two wins for Max Verstappen, and it does appear that the sport is heading towards another dominant season for Red Bull.
Unlike Max Verstappen, there are a few drivers who have not had the best start to the season. With the race in Melbourne coming up, these drivers will be looking to pick things up and put together a better result.
Heading to the F1 Australian GP, there are a few drivers who are desperate for a strong result. Let's take a look at who they are.
3 Drivers that need a strong result at the F1 Australian GP
#1 Lewis Hamilton
In the last week, David Coulthard expressed concern about whether Lewis Hamilton is already mentally looking forward to his stint at Ferrari. Eddie Jordan also claimed that the driver needed a better result, with George Russell having a better start.
The first two races have not been great for Hamilton. In the first race of the season in Bahrain, he was out-qualified by George Russell and saw himself start the race in P9 while his teammate was in the top 3. In the second race of the season, Lewis was once again not a match for his teammate.
The two Mercedes drivers have more or less always been very close to each other in terms of performance in the last two years. Having said that, Hamilton did hold the edge over George last year. Heading to the F1 Australian GP, a place where Lewis Hamilton secured a podium last year, the future Ferrari driver will be looking to get things back in line and put together a stronger result.
#2 Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is arguably the driver that is under the most pressure heading into the F1 Australian GP weekend. This is his home race, and he has fared decently on this track but just not kicked on to score a bit of a of a result. In 2014, Daniel did celebrate a podium at the track, only for it to be taken away from him later.
In 2024, the driver's start to the season has not been the best. What's worse is the comments from Helmut Marko, where the Austrian has said that the Australian needs to perform better. The 2024 F1 Australian GP is a race where Daniel Ricciardo cannot mess up. He has to put together a strong show and get a result under him.
#3 Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll arguably takes the call on whether he wants to race at Aston Martin or not, and until he has finally called it a day, nobody can take the seat away from him. With that in mind, surely the weekly humiliation at the hands of Fernando Alonso has to stop. At one point, the pressure got to him even last season in Qatar, and if the same continues, there is a possibility that it could happen again.
Stroll needs a strong result at the 2024 F1 Australian GP if he wants to prevent the journalists from circling him again about his future.
