The rise of the elder statesman Fernando Alonso has been one of the major talking points from the opening two races.

Alonso has finished third in both races and that Aston Martin car looks competitive.

His 32nd and last race win came in 2013.

The last time Alonso won in Melbourne was in 2006. That day was also April 2. Is that a lucky omen>

 Max Verstappen is on pole, alongside George Russell.

Oscar Piastri will start 16th.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas will start from the pit lane.

McLaren driver Lando Norris has told Sky Sports F1 he and teammate Oscar Piastri will need plenty to go their way.

 "We do need a little bit of luck, we need things to go our way. There's not too much you can do on strategy here," he said, 

Formula 1 is an expensive dream.

Going through the junior ranks costs a lot of money, and it is harder if you are not European.

Australian F1 star Oscar Piastri outlined the challenges any family with an aspiring motor racer to ABC program 7.30.

Eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo has been on the promotional trail this week.

Red Bull's reserve driver has been making appearances and bringing his enthusiasm to the track.

But, he is not racing.

Patrick Stack spoke with Jess Yates from Fox Sports to discuss what Ricciardo's future in F1 could look like.

Lewis Hamilton's father says the seven-times world champion is feeling good on the grid.

Hamilton starts third, following his best qualifying session of the season.

"Lewis is in a really good mood. It's such a long race, one-stop, you've got to go with what's safe. He's got the team to think about and the team's points," Anthony Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

Yesterday was one of the most entertaining qualifying sessions F1 has produced in recent times.

Changing track conditions meant strategies had to be altered during the session.

In the end, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was too good.

Oscar Piastri could only managed 16th fastest.

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas has become a fan favourite in the sport.

However, his popularity in Australia his very high.

The Alfa Romeo driver has an Australian girlfriend and spend his free time Down Under.

This week he used his celebrity status to help a kindergarten and is wearing a helmet inspired by Indigenous artwork

You can read Rosa Ritchie's terrific piece below.

There are a number of compelling storylines going into this afternoon's race — but the issues at Red Bull could be the most interesting.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have dominated the opening two races of the season.

Each has a victory and a second-place finish.

There was friction between the two after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which you can read all about in the link below.

We are just under 40 minutes away from lights-out.