It’s time, at last, for Formula 1 to advance into Australia for the opening round of the 2019 season. Motorsport Week takes a look at some of the main talking points ahead of the traditional curtain-raiser around the streets of Albert Park.
Vettel, Ferrari chasing Melbourne hat-trick
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton departed testing split by just 0.003s, setting up the tantalising prospect of an exceptionally close title fight. Delve deeper into the mathematics of testing and the suggestion is Vettel and Ferrari have a little bit more breathing room than that, but whether Barcelona results translate into Melbourne reality is a different kettle of fish. Hamilton is something of a one-lap Melbourne maestro, with six pole positions, but for the last two years Vettel and Ferrari have emerged on top. In 2017 a faster race car put Vettel in the pound seats while last season a well-timed VSC phase – and a mis-step from Mercedes – meant the race fell into Vettel’s lap. The win moved Vettel onto three Australia triumphs, just one shy of equalling the all-time record; armed with strong recent history and a compliant SF90 could he make it three on the bounce this weekend?
Leclerc ready to make Ferrari step

Leclerc had a baptism of fire in Australia 12 months ago as a messy qualifying display was followed by a draining race, later admitting that the length of a Formula 1 Grand Prix was one of the biggest surprises. One year on and for the first time he will tackle a full weekend dressed in the iconic red overalls, becoming the youngest Ferrari driver in half a century. It would be misguided to place a driver yet to finish a race higher than sixth in the title fight and the notoriously challenging Albert Park circuit means experience counts for more compared to some tracks. Leclerc, though, should be in podium contention and if he can go better and become the third-youngest winner in history – and the first Ferrari debutant victor since 2010 – then the dynamics and sub-plots of the Formula 1 title fight will be irreversibly altered.
The start of the Red Bull-Honda partnership
Red Bull-Honda had a difficult-to-judge pre-season campaign as internal optimism from both camps was counterbalanced by so-so lap times and ongoing murmurs over chassis/engine packaging. It wants to fight for titles long-term but of greater interest in the immediacy is how the RB15 fares when it’s sent onto the track at Albert Park. The venue has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Red Bull – even in its 2010-13 heyday – while in the hybrid era it has typically started campaigns a little on the back foot. It has not had a (legal) Albert Park podium in the V6 era while last year was the first in five that it got both cars to the chequered flag. If it is there or thereabouts (by which we mean an in-the-mix fifth and sixth) then that bodes well for the upcoming events and future development.
Expectations on Ricciardo and Renault

As anyone who has watched Netflix’s Drive To Survive series will know, Daniel Ricciardo gets swamped at his home event; he may originate from the other side of an enormous country but Australians get behind their local hero with aplomb, and his face is on multiple billboards in Melbourne. Since bouncing onto the scene with Red Bull in 2014, as Mark Webber’s designated replacement, Ricciardo has always been expected to be a front-runner, albeit with the caveat that results have been less than stellar. That 2014 podium-that-wasn’t was followed by a dismal sixth, a fourth, a wretched retirement, and another fourth. Renault has yet to finish higher than fifth since its return to Formula 1 three years ago and it expects to be in the thick of a hotly-contested midfield group. But imagine if a little bit of craziness strikes Albert Park and the fans’ favourite could somehow wind up on the rostrum…
Williams arriving on the back foot
Williams expected this year to be the first step on a route back to respectability but few surely anticipated such a bleak situation heading to the season opener. Its FW42 is slow, the team was short of parts, and technical director Paddy Lowe has already paid the price, leaving Williams somewhat rudderless ahead of Melbourne. Lowe’s exit infers that Williams did not share his optimism regarding the fundamental potential of the car. It means Kubica and rookie team-mate George Russell are preparing for their second debut and debut firmly on the back foot. The bumpiness of Albert Park is also unlikely to be well received by a car that was struggling on the super-smooth Barcelona track. Williams is poised to be firmly the slowest team and it’d be little surprise if both drivers are lapped by their nearest opponents.
Things you need to know
This event will be the first time since 1959 that a point will be on offer for fastest lap. Following a late regulation change the FIA confirmed that one point will be awarded to the driver inside the top 10 who sets the fastest lap of the race.
When’s it on? (click here to convert into your timezone)
Friday
FP1 12:00 – 13:30
FP2 16:00 – 17:30
Saturday
FP3 14:00 – 15:00
Qualifying 17:00 – 18:00
Sunday
Race 16:10 (58 laps or two hours)
*Note all times are local (GMT +11)