F1 title race takes shape

Daniel Ricciardo believes he’s “got some answers” and that he’s “just got to wait until Melbourne” after a disappointing Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that left the Aussie lapped and bringing his upgraded VCARB01 over the finish line in 16th place.

The 34-year-old insists that his prime years aren’t behind him, as his devout fans cling to hope that he can return to his Red Bull form.

No doubt Ricciardo has something to prove in front of his home crowd at Albert Park, but he’s not the only one, as Melbourne native Oscar Piastri will be aiming for the podium after a fourth-place finish in Jeddah, with his MCL38 which McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says will have minor upgrades.

The papaya coloured team’s lead driver Lando Norris has been quoted in the international media saying that McLaren will not bring one big upgrades package like they did last year. Stella notes that another upgrade is expected in Japan, but he warns that both upgrades are expected to deliver only a couple of milliseconds of race pace.

Ferrari seems eager to get Carlos Sainz back in the cockpit and Sainz himself seems to be on the same page. Spectators and fans, however, sing a different tune, airing their concerns for the Spaniard’s recovery.

The photographer Kym Illman shared that it appeared earlier in the week that Sainz still had issues walking comfortably and that Sainz will seemingly rely on padding under his seatbelt to keep the discomfort over his surgery scar at bay. Sainz has shared that he doesn’t expect to be in tip-top shape given his lack of training and preparation during his recovery time.

Regardless, Sainz’s Jeddah-replacement Oliver Bearman will be waiting in the wings as he is expected to appear on track for Prema Racing in F2. With a stellar drive from Bearman in Saudi Arabia, which earned him points on his F1 debut, he has since been tipped as one of F1’s emerging talents by fans and, notably, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner who made a return with a weekly F1 column.

Sainz will be expected to join Charles Leclerc in closing the gap to Red Bull, which seems less impossible now than it did last time at Albert Park. When comparing Jeddah results, Sainz was 35.876 seconds off from the race-winning Red Bull of Sergio Pérez, who set a new lap record of 1:20.235 at Albert Park last year.

This year, in Sainz’s absence, Leclerc managed to pass the checkered flag just 18.639 seconds after race winner Max Verstappen, locking in the third step of the podium for Ferrari a second time in the first two races. While the deficit is still considerable, it seems Ferrari are readying for the challenge.

While the Albert Park circuit provides tactical chicanes and run-off areas that are rebuilt annually for the Grand Prix, it does not forget its status as a street circuit with narrow portions that is characteristic to street circuits, like those found along the Lakeside Drive. This track however has a smoother surface than a usual street circuit and will not be likely to present drivers with easy overtaking opportunities.