Preparations are complete for the 2020 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne from March 13th through 15th. The race consists of 58 laps around a 5.303-kilometer course, where the ultimate goal is to be the first to see the checkered flag. A total of ten teams are competing, each bringing a pair of drivers: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Renault, Scuderia AlphaTauri, Racing Point, Alfa Romeo Racing, Haas F1 Team, and Williams.
All set for the Formula 1 race at the Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2020, which is to begin from 13th March to 15th March, in the Albert Park Circuit at Melbourne. The circuit has a travel distance of 5.303 kilometers, the drivers have to race around 58 laps and must cross the chequered black and white flag by coming first. The racers are to ride under the motor banners are Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Renault, Scuderia AlphaTauri, Racing Point, Alfa Romeo Racing, Haas F1 Team, and Williams. Each motor banner has a pair of riders to race in the Australian Grand Prix 2020.
Reflecting on the previous Australian GP, Mercedes took the top two spots, with Finland's Valtteri Bottas winning with a time of 1:25:27, and Lewis Hamilton finishing second, 20.886 seconds later. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing claimed third place, finishing 22.520 seconds behind the leader. For Ferrari (Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow), the driving seats are occupied by Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, who previously dominated the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, finishing first and second respectively.
Mattia Binotto, the head of Ferrari, expressed that although Italy and nearby nations are facing a difficult period, he hopes that participating in international sports can provide a much-needed distraction from the health crisis and offer the public some entertainment. With Australia reporting 100 COVID-19 cases and 3 deaths at the time, race organizer Andrew Westacott gave the go-ahead to proceed. This follows Australia's recent hosting of the Women’s T20 cricket final against India, and the Australian Football League is also set to kick off in the following week of March 2020.
Ferrari is launching the season with the SF1000, a new model that features a different design than its predecessor, the SF90. Binotto mentioned that the challenging F1 calendar serves as a real-world test for the car's reliability and overall performance, which will reveal how much progress they've made. Driver Sebastian Vettel pointed out that the Albert Park Circuit is technically demanding, but he is determined to outpace Mercedes this time. Historically, Scuderia Ferrari had achieved nine victories up until 2018.