Warren Kosoy 
Welcome to another edition of Formula 1 Race Week: Australian Grand Prix 2023.
It’s race week in Australia! Albert Park is a similar track to Jeddah, the race from last week which means it’s all about speed! With 20 corners, 4 DRS zones, and just a few heavy braking corners, this track is all about balance and a strong front end. Prior to qualifying it has rained all weekend, adding a touch of spice to this weekend’s proceedings. So let’s get to it.
Team Breakdowns
Red Bull
Max Verstappen ($21,000) has looked human this weekend but has been amongst the top 3 drivers in all practice sessions, qualifying on the pole. Max in the Captain spot with Red Bull Racing ($13,300) in the constructor typically makes a ton of sense, but with Sergio Perez starting in P20, you really need him to get into the top 3 to maximize the RBR constructor play. Don’t be afraid to pair Max with a different constructor this weekend.
For Sergio Perez ($11,400) to make value he has to pass damn near the entire field. Starting from P20 he’s got the machinery to do it, but considering overtakes are pretty difficult here and his struggles overall on the circuit, this might not be the best weekend for him.
Mercedes
The Mercs are strongly in play this weekend. After finishing in the top 5 last race and with both cars qualifying in the 3 top positions, pairing Lewis Hamilton ($8,200) starting in P2 or George Russell ($8,800) P3 with Mercedes ($8,700) in the constructor spot is a good way to get different while maximizing upside in your DK lines. If you’re playing multiple GPP lines, having a few with the Merc drivers in the captain spot could be very lucrative if things break in your favor.
Aston Martin
Once again a top 5 car, with the pace and the opportunity I would treat Aston Martin ($10,300) the same as I do Mercedes, very playable and a good way to get different while not being too far off the board. Fernando Alonso ($10,200) starts P4 with his teammate Lance Stroll ($7000) P6
Ferrari
Total GPP play here. In MME formats having some exposure to Ferrari ($9300) is very sensible. I would not play them in a cash game format or a single entry. The Mercedes has seemed to be better over the weekend and it really does feel as if Ferrari has kept their engine turned down, however, the Ferrari-powered cars (Haas, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari) seem to come alive on Sunday on long runs. Charles Leclerc ($9,400) and Carlos Sainz ($7,800) are fairly priced GPP plays.
Alpine
If I could make a bet for a team at longer odds to win this race I would put my money on the Alpine ($5,500) camp. They need things to fall their way, GPP plays in MME Gasly ($6,400) P9 and Ocon ($6,000) P11. Ocon did get caught out in qualifying so he might have a spot or two he can gain.
Haas
Having finished just outside the points in Jeddah and the similarities between that circuit and Albert Park here in Melbourne, Australia I like the Haas ($3200) to come alive and score well. Hulkenberg ($3000) is min price starting in P10, he might lose a spot or two so he comes with risk, but at that price point, it’s worth the volatility. Kevin Magnussen ($4200) starts in P14 and is a racer I won’t mind getting exposure to.
McLaren
Lando Norris ($5,600) P12 and Oscar Piastri ($5,000) P16 started to show some life as they made an effort to actually run deep into FP2, but then Lando’s McLaren broke down and they looked disappointing again. They are caring speed here in Australia so having one or two of these dudes in your GPPs is alright, but it feels really thin. This is Oscar P’s home race combined with Lando’s car being a gigantic question mark, I would prefer Oscar in his McLaren ($3,800)
Williams
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph this is a track for speed, and the Williams have a ton of it. The Williams($3,000) of Alex Albon ($4,600) starting in P8 is no fluke. He might have overqualified so it comes with risk, but the upside is there. I’m comfortable using Logan Sargent ($3,200), starting P18 especially if I am going to stack Max in the Captain with Red Bull Racing in the constructor spot.
Alpha Tauri
The last drivers into fades, taking Tsunoda ($4,400) P12 over DeVries ($3,600) P15 but not forcing in either, I will be okay ending up with some DeVries if it comes down to it.
Alfa Romeo
The Alfa is a pure race car. They tend to be nowhere on Friday and Saturday, then come to play in the race. I like the savings and neither is a priority like the Alpha Tauri so if I end up there that’s not an issue. Bottas comes in at ($5,400) and Zhou at ($3,800) starting in P19 and P17 respectively.
In Conclusion
Overall you really need Sergio to come from the depth of the field for the RBR constructor play to pay off. Max should dominate this race and should be in a majority of your lineups. Pairing him with a different constructor, I’ll have the majority Mercedes and Aston Martin but mixing and matching makes a ton of sense. Be careful with Sargent, Norris, and Perez as they all had reliability issues throughout the course of the weekend.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to talk strategy @tcuz86 in Discord.
