Motor racing-Changes afoot as Formula One returns Down Under

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Two years after the Australian Grand Prix was scrapped due to COVID-19 hours before the first practice, Formula One returns Down Under to an upgraded Albert Park and a warm welcome from local fans starved of elite motor sport through the pandemic.

Plenty has changed since Valtteri Bottas won the 2019 race for Mercedes in Melbourne, kicking off another season dominated by former team mate Lewis Hamilton and the Silver Arrows.

In its first upgrade in a quarter of a century, Albert Park has been re-surfaced and had corners removed to encourage passing and hopefully put an end to processional race-days.

Mercedes and Hamilton, meanwhile, have fallen off their perch, leaving Ferrari and Red Bull the talk of the paddock after the season-opening swing through Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Ferrari car's early strength and the budding rivalry between Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen has motor sport pundits raving.

Whether it is renewed interest in the series or just a spell of balmy autumn weather, fans thronged to Albert Park on Thursday and bumper crowds are tipped through the weekend in a city which spent some 260 days locked down through the pandemic.

"The drivers are smiling, fans are smiling and the weather gods are smiling on us," Australian Grand Prix Corporation boss Andrew Westacott told Reuters.

"It's a much, much quicker circuit and I expect it's going to produce great racing on the weekend."

Many fans will hope that means more duelling between Dutchman Verstappen and fellow 24-year-old Leclerc, whose battles lit up the Middle Eastern double-header.

Verstappen, who had a non-finish at Bahrain but bounced back a winner in Saudi Arabia, said he would prefer