Martin Brundle picks Leclerc, Russell and Piastri for Australian GP podium
Martin Brundle has put Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri in that order for the Australian Grand Prix podium in Melbourne, one of several predictions shared by a seven-person Formula 1 broadcast panel ahead of the season-opening weekend. Saturday at 11: 22 a. m. ET, the set of picks put Russell at the center of most forecasts as the countdown continued to Sunday’s race.
Martin Brundle’s Australian GP podium: Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri
In his predicted 1-2-3 finish, martin brundle selected Leclerc to win, with Russell second and Piastri third. The trio was presented as part of a broader, just-for-fun exercise that asked members of the broadcast team to “look into their crystal balls” before Round 1 of a 24-race campaign.
Brundle’s order stood out from several other submissions by placing Leclerc on the top step. Other panelists leaned more heavily toward Russell as the most likely winner in Melbourne, creating an early snapshot of how uncertain the pecking order appears heading into the first competitive track action of the weekend.
George Russell tops multiple picks from Simon Lazenby, David Croft and Karun Chandhok
Across the group, Russell was the most common predicted winner. Simon Lazenby listed Russell first, followed by Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. David Croft put Russell first, with Piastri second and Lando Norris third. Karun Chandhok also placed Russell first, followed by Piastri and Norris.
Rachel Brookes’ podium also had Russell on top, with Hamilton second and Kimi Antonelli third. Anthony Davidson again named Russell as his winner, choosing Max Verstappen second and Norris third. Natalie Pinkham was the exception among the seven in the listed predictions, selecting Norris for the win with Russell second and Hamilton third.
Beyond the raw 1-2-3 orders, one panel comment highlighted the sense that the early season could swing from race to race as teams and drivers adapt. Another comment noted that Russell “can cope with a lot of adversity” and “knows the preparation that he’ll need to put in for each and every race, ” underscoring why he appeared so frequently at the top of the forecasts.
Melbourne schedule: Sunday’s race set for 4 a. m. ET
The predictions were published ahead of the season-opening weekend in Melbourne, with competitive running set to begin on Friday morning and the Australian Grand Prix scheduled to start at 4 a. m. ET on Sunday.
For now, the only firm next marker on the calendar is that start time. The next confirmed event for fans is the race itself, which begins at 4 a. m. ET Sunday in Melbourne (local time not specified in the provided material).
