Australian Grand Prix Preview

Story posted April 7, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Andrew Destin

The elongated wait for the return of the Australian Grand Prix is nearing its end.

The event, which was first held in 1928, has not taken place since March 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel constraints that halted the 2020 and 2021 races, respectively.

But now, after 1,100 days, the much-anticipated event taking place just outside of downtown Melbourne is almost here, with Formula 1 cars of all kinds set to take the track at Albert Park.

Since much time has passed since racers competed on the pavement with a plethora of left and right turns, the course itself has been altered as well. Since 2019, the track has been resurfaced and widened at turns 1, 6 and the penultimate corner.

In theory, these changes will allow drivers to turn left and right less, allowing for a longer overtaking spot. Previously, the course at the Australian Grand Prix was devoid of such opportunities to overtake the competition.

Two clear-cut favorites in this event have emerged, which should come as no surprise to Formula 1 racing fans. According to Nitro Betting, Max Verstappen has the best odds at +120 while Charles Leclerc isn’t far behind at +150.

As the Drivers’ Championship standings currently sit, Leclerc is in first with 45 points while Verstappen is in third at 25 points. Verstappen’s points total received a significant boost after his showing at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

Verstappen overtook Leclerc with just four laps to go in what had been a neck-and-neck race to take home the first-place total of 25 points. Whether Verstappen can overtake Leclerc for the lead remains to be seen, but his recent performance in Saudi Arabia certainly helped his cause.

Slotted at third by Nitro Betting is Carlos Sainz, who has +800 odds and finished in fifth during the 2021 season. Though a first-place finish has escaped Sainz so far this year, he’s placed in second and third, respectively, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton are tied for the fourth-best odds at +1400. They are each in the top seven of the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Hamilton at fifth and Perez at seventh.

If history were to serve as precedent, both Hamilton and Verstappen would be excellent candidates to place in the top three, considering they each did so the last time this race took place in 2019.

Perhaps the best value pick to win this year’s Australia Grand Prix is Valtteri Bottas. The winner of the 2019 race, Bottas has gotten off to a slow start through the early stages of this season, earning just eight points that all came from his sixth-place finish at Bahrain.

As should be expected for an event taking place on the southern coast of Australia, the weather should not be much of an issue this weekend. The forecast for the weekend is expected to include temperatures in the 70s and little if any rain, so drivers should have little difficulty with either their left or right turns.

Regardless, the cluster of odds-on favorites in Australia gives little indication that there is a clear-cut candidate to take this event. Personally, I will side with Bottas given his familiarity with this event and his track record at it.

Not to mention, he’s in desperate need of a win and doing so this weekend would certainly catapult Bottas up the Drivers’ Championship standings.

The following article contains information that is not representative of the opinions of CommRadio. It solely expresses the opinions of Andrew Destin.

Andrew Destin is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. To contact him, email ajd6360@psu.edu