Two rounds in and Red Bull has wiped out all competitors, finishing first and second in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Max Verstappen won the opening lap before battling back in Saudi Arabia after starting 15th. Sergio Perez moved within one point of his Dutch team-mate after taking pole and winning in Jeddah.
Fernando Alonso has so far scored two podiums in a resurgent Aston Martin and is third in the standings with 30 points.
The third race of the year, the Australian Grand Prix, is the last race for several weeks and takes place at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
When is it?
The 2023 Australian Grand Prix runs from Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2.
What time do the sessions start?
Friday March 31
First exercise – 2.30am BST
Second practice – 6 hours
Saturday April 1
Third practice – 2:30 am
Qualifying – 6 hours
Sunday April 2
Australian Grand Prix – 6 hours
What TV channel is it on?
Sky Sports F1 have almost exclusive live coverage rights in the UK this year and indeed for the next few years with their usual excellent team.
Sky’s qualifying program kicks off at 5.15am BST on Saturday, with their race coverage at 4.30am on Sunday.
Channel 4 also has extended highlights this year. Their qualifying replay starts at 11:15am on Saturday and their race highlights pack at 12:30pm on Sunday.
What were the times and standings after the second training?
Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time in Friday’s rain-ravaged second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.
Championship leader Max Verstappen set the pace for Lewis Hamilton during the earlier dry run in Melbourne’s Albert Park.
But it was Alonso who ended the day on top after going fastest in his Aston Martin before torrential rain fell 10 minutes into the hour-long session.
The two-time world champion, 41, who completed just 13 laps, finished four-tenths faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen was third, six tenths back, with George Russell fourth for Mercedes. Hamilton finished 13th, 1.4 seconds behind, after failing to set a clean lap with the slick rubber.
- Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1 min 18.887 sec
- Charles Leclerc (Mine) Ferrari 1:19.332
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:19.502
- George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:19.672
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:19.695
- Esteban Ocon (out) Alpine 1:19.725
- Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:20.083
- Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 1:20.176
- Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) MoneyGram Haas F1 1:20.194
- Pierre Gasly (fra) Alpine 1:20.206
- Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:20.220
- Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Bet 1:20.312
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:20.323
- Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:20.380
- Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stakes 1:20.470
- Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:20.579
- Nyck de Vries (Down) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:20.600
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:21.182
- Kevin Magnussen (Den) MoneyGram Haas F1 1:21.266
- Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams No time set
What do we know about the Albert Park circuit?
- circuit length: 5,278km
- First Grand Prize: 1996
- laps: 58
- race distance: 306,124km
- Race lap record: 1:20.260 sec
- Number of corners: 14
- Overtaking opportunities: It’s not a track known for great racing, although additional DRS zones and while some corner redesigns have helped things a bit, they haven’t changed anything dramatically for the better.