2024 F1 Australian Grand Prix Preview: Sainz back in action
The third round of the 2024 F1 World Championship kicks off this weekend in Melbourne, Australia.
The Australian Grand Prix, which has been the season opener for many years, remains a popular event on the calendar, and there has already been some action ahead of this year's race.
Williams' Alex Albon, who crashed his car in Friday's practice session, will race the rest of the weekend in teammate Logan Sarjant's car. The team did not have a spare car available, and the damage to Albon's car was beyond repair, so Sergeant will sit out.
While Sergeant will miss the race, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will return to action in Melbourne after missing the previous round in Saudi Arabia due to appendicitis surgery. Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman filled in for Sainz, finishing seventh and scoring points.
The Albert Park Circuit, where the Australian Grand Prix will be held, is a street circuit that has been part of the F1 calendar since 1996. Its current layout is 3.28 miles with 14 corners.
Running at full throttle for 72% of its lap times and 79% of its lap distances, the Albert Park Circuit is the third highest on the F1 calendar in both metrics. The circuit also has the shortest pit lane on the calendar at just over 900 feet long, with cars spending only 13 seconds at pit lane speed.
Although Melbourne is weather-sensitive, the current forecast calls for mild temperatures and mostly sunny conditions for both Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race. Unlike last year, Pirelli has nominated the softest tires, with C3 as white hard, C4 as yellow medium, and C5 as red soft.
Coming into the weekend, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen leads the 2024 drivers' championship with 51 points. Sergio Perez, also of Red Bull, is second with 36 points and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari is third with 28 points. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 87 points, followed by Ferrari with 49 and McLaren with 28. Last year's winner in Melbourne was Red Bull's Verstappen.
