AccuWeather does for Sunday ..
FRI : 34C / Sunny
SAT : 25C / Sunny
SUN : 24C / Cloudy and 56% chance of rain.
Current forecast is shower in the morning, light rain possible in the afternoon.
Haven't looked forward to an opening race weekend like this in ages. Really excited for the year.
I think the biggest surprise will be Merc. I think Russell is the dark horse this year.
I think Macca has a .3 - .5 second lead on the field.
I think Red Bull is stronger than most expect.
Ferrari is unknown imo. They could be 2nd team fastest, maybe 4th. Wouldn't be surprised either way.
Aston will be slow but will improve most this year thanks to Newey's presence.
My predictions for the start of the season based on feels and vibes (not based on any hard data), just for fun:
Mclaren: the new RB19, possibly held back only by the Mclaren pitwall and the drivers fighting with each other.
Mercedes: the new SF-24, solid overall but not good enough to challenge for victory consistently.
Ferrari and Red Bull: in a lot of trouble, will spend the first half of the season figuring themselves out.
I actually think this track will suit Mclaren incredibly well. That sort of low-to-mid corner entry speed is exactly the sort of corner they developed a massive advantage in almost overnight with their Miami upgrade package last year, and Melbourne is chock full of those sorts of corners.
Genuinely would not be shocked if Mclaren are like 4+ tenths clear of the whole field here.