EXCLUSIVE: Oscar Piastri tipped to score a podium and break 40-year Australian Grand Prix duck
The record books show no Australian has officially stood on the podium at their home grand prix since it joined the F1 world championship in 1985.
Daniel Ricciardo finished second on-the-road in 2014 and did indeed get to celebrate on the podium, but he was later disqualified for a technical infringement.
But the strength of the McLaren cars in high-speed corners means Oscar Piastri is a genuine shot at breaking that duck, former Aussie F1 driver David Brabham believes.
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Last-time out in Saudi Arabia, Piastri's teammate Lando Norris gave a visual demonstration of the car's pace in fast corners when he comfortably and consistently pulled away from the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the first sector.
Oscar Piastri has been tipped to break a 40-year Australian Grand Prix duck in Melbourne this weekend. Getty
Given the Albert Park circuit has many quick corners, Brabham believes Piastri is in a "shootout" with Norris for the final spot on the podium.
That's assuming the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have no worries with reliability.
"(McLaren's) car is hopeless on DRS, but in terms of downforce, it's very strong in high-speed stuff," Brabham told Wide World of Sports.
"I don't know if I'm just hoping that, but from what I've seen to-date … McLaren could be quite strong this weekend."
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Indeed, McLaren's biggest weakness in Saudi Arabia was the relative ineffectiveness of the DRS.
The Drag Reduction System is a flap that opens on the rear wing on selected straights when a car is trailing within one second of another. It allows the car to go faster, and makes it easier to pass.
Piastri spent much of the middle part of the race stuck behind Lewis Hamilton. Even with the DRS open, he was only gaining about 5km/h of extra speed.
Most other teams gain about 20km/h with the DRS in the rear wing open. The Red Bull have the most effective DRS system, gaining them about 30km/h.
Piastri was mobbed by fans when he arrived at the Albert Park circuit on Thursday. Getty
Given Hamilton's experience, it meant Piastri was often getting to the back of the seven-time world champion, but was never able to get past. Only Hamilton's pitstop freed the young Aussie.
Piastri is fast at Albert Park. On his debut at the circuit last year, the 22-year-old Piastri dodged the chaos to drag a dog of a McLaren to his maiden F1 points.
He enters the race this year off the back of eighth and fourth place finishes in the opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He sits fifth in the championship.
F1 practice for the Australian Grand Prix commences on Friday.
