Hot Topic

We are only two races into the season but it is already clear that the 10 teams are divided into two camps – the top five who will be fighting for points and podiums, the bottom five who are going to have to work very hard to qualify and finish in the top 10.

With Red Bull Racing still the team to beat, it is left to Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin to try and challenge Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Only one other team has scored a point so far, Nico Hulkenberg grabbing one point for Haas with a 10th placed finish in Jeddah.

For the third year in a row Mercedes is admitting to have a problem with its car, which is bad news that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. We know how difficult it can be to fix fundamental problems. Speed and consistency was the team’s goal for this year, even if they realised it would be difficult to catch Red Bull, but instead we see Lewis saying that he lacks confidence in the car.

In the battle for the teams’ World Championship Mercedes’ problems are giving Ferrari and McLaren the opportunity to move ahead. We have seen Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc score podiums over the first two races of the season, Charles also managing to put his car on the front row of the grid both times.

A strong start for Ferrari as Red Bull’s nearest challenger and, with strong points finishes for McLaren, a positive start for Lando Norris and team mate Oscar Piastri.

Take Note

Albert Park is a great track but an interesting mixture. On TV it looks like a permanent circuit but this is really a street track built in a park and the walls are close. There is not much run-off, so you cannot really afford to make a mistake in any of the quicker corners and we’ve seen plenty of incidents at Turns 1, 2 and 3 over the years!

The other point about Albert Park is that the track is bumpy in places and there is quite a lot of track evolution over the weekend. No matter how well the organisers prepare for a race, even with support races using the track, Formula 1 cars will go quicker and quicker as they lay more rubber down on the surface of the track and clear away the dust and dirt.

You get this on permanent tracks too, of course, but the low grip in Melbourne can cause some problems in practice and those walls are waiting for you if you get it wrong.

Mika’s Tip

Behind Red Bull the two teams to look out for this weekend are Ferrari and McLaren. Both teams have started the season by showing good potential, Ferrari is able to push Red Bull Racing in qualifying – at least against Sergio Perez if not Max Verstappen – and anything can happen if you get a car onto the front row.

McLaren is not planning any major upgrades until May, but both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were back at the factory last week, looking at the data from Bahrain and Jeddah. They know where the car’s strengths and weaknesses are and, on his home circuit, I expect Oscar to produce something special. He is very motivated.

The great thing in McLaren is that Oscar and Lando push each other, really helping the team to maximise its potential. This means that when Oscar arrives in Melbourne with the objective of producing a strong result in front of his home crowd, Lando will be giving everything to ensure he also shines. A strong points finish is available, a podium if Ferrari or Red Bull have a less than perfect weekend.