Categories: FeatureFeatures

Australian Grand Prix preview

Racing returns this weekend as Formula One descends on Albert Park in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. Following three pre-season tests, the opening race of the 2015 season finally forces all of the teams to show their true hands, highlighting who may need a bit more time to get up to speed. Caterham has disappeared from the grid that lined up in Abu Dhabi, but Manor - formerly Marussia - returns to make it a field of 20 cars featuring four rookies.

FORM GUIDE

Using pre-season testing as a form guide is not always the easiest thing to do, but there were plenty of signs throughout the three tests - allied to the way last season ended - which give some pretty clear pointers. Mercedes is the heavy favourite after setting the pace pre-season, with the car quick enough over one lap to be fastest on the soft compound in Barcelona and boasting impressive race pace.

Williams was the closest challenger in Abu Dhabi and looks set to retain that position in Melbourne, while Ferrari and Red Bull are also likely to have ambitions of a podium finish. At the other end of the spectrum, for McLaren it’s realistically a fourth pre-season test session, and for Manor a first chance to run its car since Russia last year.

2014 RESULT

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 1:44.231 (wet)

Top three: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (McLaren), Jenson Button (McLaren)

Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 1:32.478

SESSION TIMES (All times local)

FP1: 12:30 - 14:00

FP2: 16:30 - 18:00

FP3: 14:00 - 15:00

Qualifying: 17:00 - 18:00

Race: 1600

TYRE CHOICES

WEATHER FORECAST

A warm, dry weekend appears to be in store for the opening race of the season, with relatively cool temperatures on Friday - in the low 20s - giving way to a hotter day on Saturday. Race day is set to be more like Friday with a slight chance of rain, but overall pretty stable conditions for the teams to run in.

PODIUM PREDICTION

1st - Lewis Hamilton

2nd - Nico Rosberg

3rd - Valtteri Bottas

2014 WINNING SHOT

Click here for the F1i 2015 season preview

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.