2011 Australian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix weather

Melbourne

Weather conditions may have been dull and dreary today, but the action on track was extremely hot as Sebastian Vettel blasted his way to pole position for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix.

Thankfully, the showers stayed away from the circuit so it was possible to get a true read on the early pecking order and, with high pressure beginning to move in from the west, things will begin to improve.

Albert Park is clear of the rain risk now, but the cloudy skies will hang on through the night, with temperatures dipping to no lower than 15 degrees Celsius.

Race day will dawn dry, but cloudy. This will be the case until around mid-morning, but finally some breaks will appear. Patches of blue sky will become more evident towards lunch time, with some sunny intervals developing by mid-afternoon.

It will look a lot brighter by race time at five o'clock, which will be good news for the drivers as it will go some way to alleviate concerns over the level of natural light towards the end of the race.

A light sea breeze will be evident for much of the day and temperatures will pick up to a maximum of 20 Celsius before the start of the race.

Will Red Bull drive away with the spoils or can the McLaren pair cause a surprise? Join us tomorrow for full coverage of the race, starting at 05:30 GMT.

McLaren

Jenson Button dodged several late-afternoon shower cells to top the timesheet at the end of an interesting first day of the new Formula 1 season.

Melbourne will remain at risk of these light shower cells through the rest of the day and into the early part of tomorrow, but all the while they will become more scattered and less frequent across the state.

Saturday will dawn mainly cloudy with the odd patch of blue sky here and there. As the impending high pressure continues to move in from the west, the weather picture will improve. The shower risk should be out of the equation by midday and some sunny intervals will develop in the afternoon. Overall, the rain risk will be less than today, so we anticipate a full day of dry track running.

Temperatures will pick up ever so slightly tomorrow to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius as the wind strength decreases gradually.

Sunday looks much better with prolonged sunshine over the city in the afternoon and only a light sea breeze as high pressure plants itself over the region, with temperatures rising another notch to 20 or even 21 Celsius.

Which of the top teams will take the honours on Saturday? Join us for full coverage on AUTOSPORT Live, starting with the final practice at 02:50 GMT.

Melbourne

Frequent showers and a strong south-westerly wind made for a positively chilly pre-event media day at Albert Park, as the teams finished off preparations ahead of the resumption of on-track hostilities.

Low pressure is dominant over Victoria currently, driving showers inland across the state on the back of that wind. But, over the next 36 hours, the 994 millibar low (and its showers) will slide away to the east, as high pressure moves in from the west. The high is expected to be centred over the state on Sunday afternoon, completing the transition from wet to dry.

Weekend Forecast

Tonight, showers will continue to push in from the Pacific Ocean and it will remain very windy - certainly until dawn. As we move into Friday morning, the showers will become less frequent, heralding a slow change in the weather, but first practice is likely to be run with damp track conditions.

Second practice is expected to be somewhat drier as the showers become much more isolated in the afternoon, but the stiff wind up to 25 kmh will be in evidence once again, veering round to a southerly shortly after the end of the first day's action.

The improving weather pattern is expected to continue into Saturday. A rogue shower cannot be completely ruled out - particularly in the morning, but on the whole it should remain dry, with some spells of sunshine developing in the afternoon. A southerly breeze will continue, though less severe than on Friday, allowing temperatures to pick up to a maximum of 20 degrees.

Race day is currently set to be fine and dry with plenty of sunshine around for the five o'clock start, with temperatures just beginning to trend downwards from a high of 21 Celsius.

In just over 12 hours from now the fun will begin as the new Formula 1 season roars into life. Join us here on AUTOSPORT Live for all the Friday practice action from Albert Park, with coverage from 01:20 GMT.

Pre-season testing may be a distant memory for the Formula 1 teams but, in the lead-up to the opening round of a new campaign, many within the sport could be forgiven for thinking they are back in Europe this week.

Australia kicks off the 2011 world tour following the postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix meaning the hot and dusty conditions usually experienced at Sakhir make way for the showers, coastal winds and cool temperatures of Melbourne, as yet another low pressure system drifts across southern parts of the country after a very difficult summer.



Synoptic Trend

Low pressure is stalling over Victoria and South Australia and will dominate the weather over the coming days, with frequent showers and a strengthening wind in effect. But, by Wednesday evening, things should calm down a little. A second low tracking across the Pacific Ocean will drag showers towards the coastline on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday, before a strong high pushes its way in from the west through the rest of the weekend.

Early Forecast

Friday is likely to produce the worst of the weather for the teams and drivers, as they attempt to re-acquaint themselves with the Albert Park circuit. There will be heavy cloud cover and it may stay overcast throughout the two 90-minute practice sessions, with scattered showers in the area. Some wet running is possible but any showers will be fairly light. Winds will swing round to the south-west during the day, keeping temperatures cool at just 18 degrees.

An improving theme is anticipated on Saturday as the shower threat decreases, thanks to the low moving away slowly to the east. Current forecast models show the threat of an isolated, light shower, but as the week goes on we expect further progression towards an ultimately dry Saturday with some sunny spells and a high of 18 Celsius - watch this space.

The change towards dry and predominantly sunny conditions will be complete on race day, as high pressure from the west moves in over the region. Temperatures will remain on the cool side at just 17 Celsius, thanks to a light, southerly breeze, but at least in brighter conditions the natural daylight will hold for slightly longer, making things less difficult for the drivers in the latter stages of the race.

Track temperature will be a factor for the teams all weekend as they compete on Pirelli rubber for the first time, so catching a sunny break could prove critical in qualifying and the race.

The weather may not be extreme or particularly volatile this weekend, but cool conditions and a slowly improving trend will add an extra dimension for the first race and Pirelli's official return to the sport. AUTOSPORT Live will continue monitoring the skies and we will publish a further update on Thursday ahead of the eagerly-awaited practice action.