A record crowd is expected to hit Albert Park for this year’s Australian Grand Prix – but thanks to world champion Max Verstappen‘s incredible dominance in 2024, the biggest stories are likely to be found off the track.

The Red Bull ace has looked unstoppable this year, taking easy victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to open the season – with Ferrari a very distant second in the seemingly hopeless race to close the gap and create some real competition for the drivers and constructors crowns.

But away from the grid, Red Bull are mired in controversy thanks to team boss Christian Horner‘s ‘sexting’ scandal.

The controversy is still dominating talk in the paddock as the woman at the centre of the drama recently slamming the way the team’s internal probe into the matter was handled and launched an appeal against the investigation’s findings.

With experts and fans firm in the belief that only a disaster can stop Max Verstappen winning hte world title again, the biggest story in Melbourne will be Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s ongoing ‘sexting’ scandal

A highlight for Aussie fans will be how local hopes Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo fare in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.

Piastri – who is racing at his home town GP for just the second time – is showing huge promise with McLaren, while Ricciardo’s struggles so far this season have many experts worried that this could be his last year on the grid.

Australian former F1 star David Brabham believes the 22-year-old will eclipse his countryman’s achievements on the track due to his mental approach, comparing him to all-time greats Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher.

‘I’d put Oscar in the Prost and Schumacher bracket – he’s 100 per cent dedicated to the acing and doesn’t care about the other stuff,’ he told Nine.

‘Some drivers love the fluff – Daniel, I think, loves the fluff … you can see Daniel being a bit up and down because of it and you can see Oscar being more flatline, consistent.’

Aussie phenom Oscar Piastri (pictured with girlfriend Lily Zneimer) has been compared to legends Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher by a former F1 star from Down Under

Ex-racer David Brabham believes Piastri’s exacting mindset will see him eclipse the on-track achievements of struggling Aussie Daniel Ricciardo (pictured)

When does the action begin? 

The first time most fans will get to see the stars is at the drivers’ media conference, which kicks off at 1.30pm AEST on Thursday. 

Expect the Horner situation to be the subject of a barrage of questions for Max Verstappen, whose father Jos has called for the team principal to stand down over the drama. 

The F1 cars will hit the track for the first practice session on Friday at 12.30pm-1.30pm AEDT, followed by the second practice from 4pm-5pm. 

Saturday features the third practice session from 12.30pm-1.30pm, with qualifying held from 4pm-5pm.

The race itself will start at 3pm, with the finish scheduled for around 5pm, depending on how smoothly things go. The more often the safety car has to be deployed, the longer the event will take.

How to watch practice, qualifying and the race

All of the above will be broadcast on both free-to-air and pay TV.

Channel Ten’s coverage begins at midday (AEDT) on Friday and runs until 5pm. Saturday’s broadcast begins at 9am and finishes at 5.30pm, with Sunday’s action starting at 8.30am and going right through until 5pm.

Fox Sports will also bring viewers live coverage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with their broadcast also streaming on Kayo.

What to watch out for this year

The big question is how much will Verstappen win by? Will he clear off from the rest of the field at the rate of a second a lap? Or just 0.7 of a second a lap?

The reigning world champion is paying just $1.20 to win the race, with his teammate Sergio Perez next at $9 and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at $15 – amply illustrating how far ahead Red Bull’s car is this year.

There’s a theory among some experts that the track in Bahrain favoured the Red Bull more so than any other race on the calendar, with Saudi Arabia not far behind – meaning how the cars fare at Albert Park could provide a truer indication of how the teams are placed.

Barring some sort of disaster, the only question surrounding Max Verstappen (pictured) at Melbourne is how much he’ll win by, not if he’ll win

Piastri (pictured racing in Saudi Arabia earlier this month) will be hunting for a podium finish

Leclerc is a brilliant driver in qualifying and one-lap pace is where the Prancing Horse is closest to Verstappen, meaning the battle for pole position is, on paper, the best chance of Red Bull coming second on race weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo has had a disastrous start to the year, being outpaced at Jeddah by teammate Yuki Tsunoda and only managing to finish 13th in Bahrain.

He’s now slipping out of contention to replace Perez at Red Bull and needs a solid result to throw his hat back into the ring.

Oscar Piastri finished eighth n Bahrain, two places behind teammate Lando Norris, then beat him easily when he came fourth in Saudi Arabia.

While the McLaren isn’t up there with Ferrari in terms of pace this year, the car is good enough to podium if the team adopts the right strategy and they don’t suffer any disasters during the race.

The 22-year-old has already won the sprint in Qatar last year – making him the first rookie to take the chequered flag in a race for 15 years – and finished second in that grand prix’s main race, so the talent is definitely there.