'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAEEAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQRABITQQUUISJhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBBEBAAICAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMRAgQAEiEjMWH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AM/OwTBiIEgrVKdO42tt07Yb9km0lN6rSeclCvrJJ09pp4u7r74xjLd1Y9XX6Fxvuooth7eFD5J5TKkxACvrz//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After two rounds in the Middle East, the F1 circus will pitch its tent Down Under for the Australian GP in Melbourne.
Red Bull come into the race weekend as the team to beat after starting the campaign with consecutive one-two finishes. However, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez could be wary of potential reliability issues creeping up after suffering a scare in Jeddah. Christian Horner and Co. have an upgrade planned for the RB19 with another in the pipe for the next race in Baku and this could spell more misery for the rest of the grid.
Aston Martin is second in the standings and level on points with Mercedes after claiming two podiums in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia through Fernando Alonso. Team Silverstone will be keen to continue their impressive start to the season when the lights go out at Albert Park.
Mercedes may be third on the table but the Silver Arrows still have a lot of soul-searching to do after admitting their car concept has not panned out as expected. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are yet to get on the podium and that statistic may not change this weekend either.
Ferrari is playing catch-up after the opening two rounds of the season and it could be another tough weekend for the Scuderia in Melbourne. It is a far cry from the Italian team that had notched up five podium finishes by this time last year.
For the rest of the grid, it is still an open playing field to assert themselves in the pecking order. However, all eyes will be on McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri ahead of his home race.
With multiple narratives playing out simultaneously, the elements could also have an impact on how the race weekend goes. So, what kind of weather can we expect for the 2023 F1 Australian GP?
Weather forecast for the 2023 F1 Australian Grand Prix weekend (March 31 - April 2)
Here's some information regarding the weather forecast around Albert Park, Melbourne for the upcoming 2023 F1 Australian GP weekend, according to accuweather.com.
Friday, March 31 – FP1 and FP2 weather
Conditions: Clouds yielding to sun; breezy in the afternoon with a couple of showers; a moderate UV index of 3 and WSW winds blowing at 19km/h, with wind gusts at 33km/h and a 12% probability of a thunderstorm.
Maximum temperature expected: 20°C | 68°F
Minimum temperature expected: 13°C | 55.4°F
Chance of rain: 61%
Saturday, April 1 – FP3 and Qualifying weather
Conditions: Mostly cloudy, breezy and cool; a low UV index of 1 and S winds blowing at 20 km/h, with wind gusts at 32km/h and no probability of a thunderstorm.
Maximum temperature expected: 16°C | 60.8°F
Minimum temperature expected: 10°C | 50°F
Chance of rain: 25%
Sunday, April 2 – Race weather
Conditions: Mostly sunny; a moderate UV index of 5 and SSE winds blowing at 17km/h, with wind gusts at 35km/h and no probability of a thunderstorm.
Maximum temperature expected: 18°C | 64.4°F
Minimum temperature expected: 9°C | 48.2°F
Chance of rain: 2%
Pirelli Motorsport boss Mario Isola expecting variety of strategies during 2023 F1 Australian GP
Pirelli has confirmed the tire compounds that will be provided to all teams for this weekend's 2023 F1 Australian GP.
For the third race of the season, Pirelli has opted for the middle of their range of tires, with the C2 compound as the white-walled hard tire, the C3 as the yellow-walled medium tire, and the C4 compound as the red-walled soft tire for the race.
Pirelli Motorsport boss Mario Isola confirmed that this was the same as the tire nomination for the 2019 race at the same venue. In his pre-race de-brief, the Italian said:
“We’ve made the same tyre choice as we did back in 2019 for the Australian Grand Prix. Following a two-year absence from the calendar due to the Covid pandemic, we went for a gap in the nominated compounds last year: selecting the C2, C3 and then the softest C5 compound. That race was a one-stopper won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with all the teams using the hard and the medium tyre, while the soft was just used for qualifying."
Isola is expecting a high degree of track evolution this weekend, which could lead to more variations in terms of strategies from all 10 teams on the grid. He went on to add:
"This weekend, the teams will have the C2, C3, and C4 at their disposal, which means that they have more options for the race in terms of strategy: on paper at least. We’re expecting a high degree of track evolution throughout the weekend, as is normally the case in Melbourne, while the energy demands on the tyres are about average for the season. It’s a flowing track with corners that are faster following last year’s modifications, which benefit overtaking as well as the overall spectacle.”
Viewers in the US can tune in to ESPN and ESPN Deportes to watch all the action live from the race weekend, while UK viewers can catch the proceedings on Sky Sports.
Indian viewers will need a subscription to F1 TV Access or F1 TV Pro now that StarSports and Disney+ Hotstar no longer have the rights to broadcast F1 content in the country.
