2023 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia

Layout of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

The **2023 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia** is a scheduled 207.15 mile (333.38 kilometer) motor race set to take place on 5 March 2023. It will be the first race of the 2023 AT&T Champ Car World Series season, and the first race to take place following the 2022 H1N1 global pandemic. The race will be held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the fourth consecutive year, with the venue first taking over hosting rights for the event in 2020.

Kunimitsu Kinoshita entered the race, and the season, as the reigning Indycar World Driver's Champion, having been crowned champion from the abbreviated 2022 season, while Verizon Team Impulse enters as reigning Indycar World Team's Champions. Esther Hoffson entered as the defending race winner, having won the event in both 2021, for Eastern Atlantic Motorsports, and in 2022, for Dragon Motorsports.

## Background

The 2023 race would be the last of a four year agreement between Horizon Corporation, the parent company of Champ Car, and Phillip Island Circuit owners. A new contract could not be agreed upon, with Champ Car series officials beginning to look at other Australian and New Zealand race venues as potential hosts.

### Event Changes

Due to the heavy influx of entries, new teams, and teams outside of the top 22 in entry points from the 2022 season would be required to undergo a pre-qualifying session on Thursday evening, before the main part of the weekend began on Friday. Road courses, and short ovals would allow the top six cars in pre-qualifying to advance to the race weekend, while ovals over a mile in length would allow the top eight cars to advance from pre-qualifying.

### Rule Changes

For the first time since 2009, Push-To-Pass will return, having been tested in 2021, and 2022 prior to the pandemic freezing activities. For road and street courses, drivers will have access to 10 uses of Push-To-Pass, with each use lasting up to 20 seconds and applying an increase of 30 brake horsepower while in use. As a safety feature, the push-to-pass ends when a driver either applies the brake, or lifts more than 10% off of the throttle pedal.

## Entry List

For the first time since 2018, thirty-three entries attempted to take part in the event as a full-time entry for the 2023 season. With a field capacity of 28 cars, five entries were guaranteed to fail to qualify at the end of qualifying. Seven rookies will contend for 2023 Rookie of the Year honors during the season, denoted by **(R)**.

## Pre-Qualifying

Pre-qualifying took place on 2 March 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

## Practice

New for 2023, a singular, 120-minute session replaces two 90-minute session. The practice session took place on 3 March 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. local time.

## Qualifying

Qualifying took place at 12:00 p.m. on 4 March 2023.

## Box Score

### Race Statistics

* Cautions | 1 for 4 laps
* Lead Changes | 15 between 7 drivers
* Weather Report | 64 degrees Fahrenheit, winds 10-17 mph

## See Also

* 2023 AT&T Champ Car World Series season
* 2023 Arasaka 300, the next race of the 2023 season
* 2022 Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia, the previous year's event