Sun, fun and a favourite son: Melbourne makes a full-throttle return to the top of the F1 calendar

Giles Richards - TheGuardian - 14/03
Grand prix fans thronged into the heaving Albert Park with renewed zeal, abuzz at the prospects of local hero and title contender Oscar Piastri
McLaren's Oscar Piastri on a practice lap of Melbourne’s Albert Park. The city has welcomed F1 with an open enthusiasm that is all but infectious. Photograph: Mark Peterson/Reuters
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McLaren's Oscar Piastri on a practice lap of Melbourne’s Albert Park. The city has welcomed F1 with an open enthusiasm that is all but infectious. Photograph: Mark Peterson/Reuters

Sun, fun and a favourite son: Melbourne makes a full-throttle return to the top of the F1 calendar

Grand prix fans thronged into the heaving Albert Park with renewed zeal, abuzz at the prospects of local hero and title contender Oscar Piastri

As Formula One prepares to open a season the sport hopes will be a spectacular battle royale, it surely could not ask for a finer venue than Melbourne’s Albert Park to see things off in a suitably splendid fashion.

The true form for the year ahead has yet to be discerned from the opening day of practice in Australia. But with the cars fizzing with intent round the glorious circuit in the parkland in the heart of the city, it wa...
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