Roger Diez
Last Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix Formula 1 season opener was challenging for the teams.
Both rookies and veterans fell afoul of slippery conditions as the race started and ended on a wet track with a dry spell in the middle. Young Isack Hadjar spun his Racing Bull on the reconnaissance lap causing an aborted start. In one of the most moving and compassionate things I have ever seen at an F1 race, Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’s father, comforted the devastated rookie with a hug and encouraging words.
But there was more carnage to come. Both rookie Jack Doohan’s Alpine and the Williams of Carlos Sainz crashed out on the first lap, causing the first of three Safety Car deployments. In the end, Lando Norris held off a charging Max Verstappen with the McLaren edging the Red Bull by less than a second at the checker and the Mercedes of George Russell finishing third.
Six of the 20 starters did not finish the race. A bad tire strategy on the final dry/wet changeover dropped the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton from first and second to eighth and 10th at the end.
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NASCAR was in Las Vegas last weekend with Christopher Bell gunning for his fourth win in a row. But a loose wheel and a brilliant call to stop in a teammate’s pit box to have it tightened dropped him to the rear of the field.
Instead, Josh Berry scored his first Cup win in his first year with the Wood Brothers after a late-race duel with Daniel Suarez. Berry had won twice at the fast 1.5-mile oval in the Xfinity series. It was also the first win of the season for Ford. Berry led the last 18 laps and there were nine leaders with Kyle Larson in front for 61 to lead the most laps.
With five races complete, William Byron leads the points with 207 followed by Bell at 178. Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott are tied for third with 159 each and Alex Bowman is fifth with 156.
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This will be a busy weekend for race fans. Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA are all in action. The 18th running of the Chinese Grand Prix airs Saturday at midnight on ESPN due to time zone differences. The race was dark from 2020 to 2023, with Max Verstappen the winner. Hamilton has won it six times, and Fernando Alonso twice.
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Saturday’s NASCAR action at Homestead-Miami Speedway includes NASCAR Cup practice and qualifying on Prime at 10:05 a.m. and the Xfinity series Hard Rock Bet 300 at 1 p.m. on the CW. FS1 will broadcast Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400.
There has not been a repeat winner in the last nine races at Homestead-Miami, with seven of those winners in this weekend’s field. Denny Hamlin leads with three wins while Kyle Busch has two. The last four single-race winners are defending winner Reddick, Bell, Larson, and Byron. Busch last won in 2019 and Joey Logano in 2018.
There are 15 Chevrolets, 12 Fords, and nine Toyotas entered for the 267-lap race.