World champion Max Verstappen is eyeing a "smooth weekend" to build on his victory in Saudi Arabia, but is wary about a revamped Albert Park circuit as Formula One returns to Melbourne after a two-year hiatus.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver was a relieved man after battling to a thrilling win ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in Jeddah last month.
It was a satisfying triumph for Verstappen after Monaco's Leclerc clinched the season-opening grand prix in Bahrain where the Dutchman failed to finish.
The young rivals again shape as the men to beat in the third race of the year, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton desperate for improvement from Mercedes on a track where he has taken eight poles, including the last six.
It will be a new experience for all drivers, with Albert Park undergoing its most significant modifications since first hosting a grand prix in 1996.
A full resurfacing has taken place with seven corners modified and two removed, bringing the number of turns down to 14, providing more overtaking opportunities and lap times up to five seconds quicker than in the past.
"It will be interesting to see the track updates, I think they will make quite a big difference, especially in turn six where the most significant change has happened," said Verstappen, who is 20 points behind Leclerc in the drivers' standings.
"There should be more overtaking opportunities now too which is always positive. It's going to be interesting to see how the car performs in Australia, the track can sometimes be quite dusty. I hope we can have another smooth weekend as a team."
Verstappen made his Formula One debut in Melbourne in 2015 for Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso.
Hamilton, who has won more Formula One races than any driver in history, has topped the podium twice in Australia, but not since 2015.
His chances of doing so again appear slim on the evidence of the opening two races, where Mercedes struggled with speed and managing downforce, prompting the Briton to complain in Saudi Arabia his car was "undriveable".
After being gifted third place in Bahrain, when neither Red Bull finished, he managed just 10th in Jeddah, having qualified 16th.