Ahead of the first Grand Prix of the year, anticipation is building to discover the true potential of the new cars. The season is expected to be competitive, but everything will depend on the gaps on track. At least for now, it’s impossible not to consider Woking as the favorite.
Formula 1 arrives in Melbourne, which returns as the season opener. It’s an atypical circuit, as is often noted year after year, meaning it might not provide an accurate picture of the competitive hierarchy. Adding to the uncertainty is the weather, with rain expected. In short, this appears to be a wide-open Grand Prix before the championship moves on to Shanghai.
Predicting a winner as early as Thursday is difficult, but ignoring McLaren’s potential is even harder. The MCL39 was the only car to show competitive race pace during Bahrain testing. While Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull’s exact form remains unclear, George Russell has no illusions: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the drivers to beat.
George Russell puts everything on McLaren: “They are the favorites in Australia”
In an interview with Formula 1’s official website, the Mercedes driver remained grounded: “The car is good. I think last year, even though we finished in our lowest position of the past three years, we won the highest number of races.”
“I’m confident this car will be a bit more consistent, not as up-and-down. So maybe we won’t see those huge peaks like in Las Vegas, where we blew everyone away, but also not the poor performances we had in some races.” – George Russell pointed out.
“But we can’t fool ourselves: we know McLaren is undoubtedly the favorite right now. They look absolutely dominant, and I’m sure they will be the ones to beat.” – the Mercedes driver concluded ahead of the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
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