Welcome back to Australia! How nice to be able to say that. A lot has changed since Formula 1 last raced here in 2019. For the first time in years, we return to Australia with a new world champion: Max Verstappen, who will try hard to defend his throne from another young talent, who made his debut with Ferrari in 2019 right here, namely Charles Leclerc.
But these are not the only changes that have taken place in these 3 years. Formula 1 has introduced new single-seaters this season with the aim of creating more show and battles. The Melbourne track also sported a new layout for the occasion with wider corners and longer straights. Will they serve to make the race even more exciting?
It's still too early to tell, but in the meantime, since we're in kangaroo land, let's jump straight to the predictions for the Grand Prix, based on the new information we have regarding this modified layout.
Safety Car in the race
The last few years have not seen many Safety Cars in Melbourne. In 2018 one, in 2017 and 2019 none. In addition, the changes to the track should provide more space for the riders.
Our prediction advice is NO, there will be no Safety Car in the race.
Virtual Safety Car in the race
If the Safety Car were not called, the Virtual could instead arrive, to remove debris perhaps deriving from lighter contacts, or stationary cars, as happened in the final laps in Jeddah. The Virtual on such a track could be more likely given the presence of escape routes.
Our prediction advice is YES, there will be VSC in the race.
Red flag in the race
There should be a real catastrophe to call the red flag in Melbourne, Fernando Alonso knows it well who in 2016 had a terrible accident with Gutierrez from which fortunately both came out unharmed. We obviously hope we don't have to relive such a moment.
Our advice on forecasting is therefore NO, there will be no red flag in the race
Drivers unmark wet/full wet tires in the race
The latest weather forecast says that we will see overcast skies but that it shouldn't rain in any session. However, compared to Bahrain and Jeddah there could be a plot twist, so keep an eye on the forecasts and if necessary, make your choice just before the start of qualifying which, remember, will start at 08:00!
However, we advise NO, the drivers will not mark off wet/full wet tires in the race
Team double in the race
A brace usually comes on two occasions, either due to a clear superiority of one team over the others, or due to mistakes by others. At the moment Ferrari was the only one capable of one-two in Bahrain but in conjunction with Red Bull's double out. There is currently no clear difference between Red Bull and Ferrari and this leads us to think that it is not so easy for both to score one-two.
Our prediction advice is NO, there will be no one-two in the race
Driver who starts on pole wins the race
In the last 8 races, only once has the driver who started from pole won, in 1.
Our prediction advice is NO, the driver who starts from pole will not win the race
Number of teams to bring both riders into the top 10
Formula 1 is giving us entertainment and variety in this new era. We think that even in Melbourne, there could be a good dose of teams to bring both drivers into the top 10.
Our forecast recommendation is 4
Number of cars forced to retire during the race
Not so much for accidents as for reliability problems, a problem that will be very present at least in this initial phase of development.
Our forecast recommendation is 3
