We’re back at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix for Round 2 of the 2023 Supercars Championship this weekend, as Championship leader Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat look to make it a memorable round.
Chaz Mostert had great success at the Grand Prix last year, we’re hoping to repeat this as we also celebrate a big milestone on Friday for Chaz as he marks his 300th race start!
Format
Four days of action! On track running starts on Thursday with two practice sessions and two qualifying sessions for Race 3 and 4. In the afternoon, we hit the track for Race 3 which is 19 laps.
Friday is quieter with the cars hitting the track just once for the 15 lap Race 4 in the afternoon.
Saturday, we have the remaining two qualifying sessions, before the 13 lap Race 5 in the evening.
We round out the weekend with the final race on Sunday morning for another 13 laps.
The Track
Albert Park is the fastest circuit on the 2023 Supercars calendar with the average speed of 180km/h and top speed of 275km/h.
Drivers have to be aggressive into the Turn 11-12 chicane leading into Turn 13, as this corner provides a great opportunity to fire it down the inside; keep an eye out for a few moves to be made here over the weekend.
Tyres
We will be running both the Dunlop Hard and Super Soft tyres for all four races. If you start on the Dunlop hard tyre, you switch to the soft tyre, and vice versa. Tyres will play an important role in the sprint race strategy.
Pitstops
This weekend consists of four sprint races so no refueling is required, just a minimum of one pitstop with four tyre changes per race. It’s important the team nail the pitstop as all will be on in the lane for track position.
Weather
It looks like there will be some scattered showers across the week. This makes for another wildcard with the opportunity to potentially use the new softer compound Dunlop wet tyre.
How to Watch
Every session, every lap, will be live on Foxtel and Kayo throughout the weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday races will have coverage on Channel 10.
Nick Percat
“It’s always a great weekend here at the Australian Grand Prix. It’s the quickest track on the calendar which makes for some exciting racing for the fans.
“The practice sessions on Thursday morning are super important as we need to make sure we have our car in the window for the two qualifying sessions and Race 3 later in the day.
“Not much went our way in Newcastle, I can’t thank everyone enough for the work that’s gone into the car since then, I am really excited to get out there this weekend and see what we can do.”
Chaz Mostert
“I can’t believe it’ll be race 300 on Friday – that’s gone quick, but it would be great to celebrate with a couple more trophies this weekend.
“At the Grand Prix, with the long track distance and short qualifying sessions there is no room for mistakes. It’s super cutthroat, and it all comes down to your qualifying position so it’s important we get it right.
“I am excited to for the weekend, it’s always massive, the crowd will be insane, and the cooler weather will be a nice change from the 35 degrees we had in Newcastle and would be cool to try out the new wet tyre.”