The Formula One season kicks into top gear this weekend in Melbourne. Going into qualifying, the 2013 season is shaping up to be the massive surprise that most expected following the test sessions and new Pirelli tires. If the second free practice is any indication, Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix could be anyone’s race.

With qualifying starting tonight at 1:55 a.m. ET, Red Bull is going into the session with the top two times. Three-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel drove his Red Bull to the fastest run of 1:25.908, almost three-tenths faster than his teammate Mark Webber, who clocked in at 1:26.172 and trumped his teammate earlier in the session. All was not bright for the Red Bulls however, as Vettel’s KERS failed him and he complained of “knocking” in his car near the end of the session.

In all, the team still felt positive, continuing its form after the driver and constructor titles last season.

Filling out the third spot and 0.414 seconds back was Nico Rosberg and his Mercedes F1 W04. The car was a pleasant surprise for the German squad early in the session, but both were forced to retire prematurely. Rosberg suffered a gearbox issue, which the team must sort before qualifying, while Lewis Hamilton pushed strong with his new team before losing control and going into the gravel. His pace impressed however, holding a spot in the top two before ultimately finishing the session in eighth, 0.864 seconds back.

Despite that, Hamilton was optimistic for the team going into qualifying.

“Overall it was a good day, if perhaps not the smoothest,” he said. “I’m happy with where we are and to see Nico in third place on the timesheets shows that we’re pretty competitive. That’s a reflection of a great job that everyone has done at the factory and here at the track. I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”

Along with the Mercedes, the team to watch in qualifying is Lotus, who have quietly been running up the ranks since a number of strong performances last year. It is one of few teams that decided to keep the questionable ‘stepped nose’ on its E21 car for this year, but team has seen steady performance gains. Kimi Raikkonen finished the second practice a strong fourth (+0.453), while his teammate Romain Grosjean finished fifth (+0.772).

“The car felt pretty strong out there. I don’t think we’re the fastest but it’s a good start. I’m happy so far this weekend,” Raikkonen said.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso slotted behind Grosjean and in front of Hamilton for sixth (+0.840), while teammate Felipe Massa finished eighth (+0.947).

Force India’s late addition and F1-returnee Adrian Sutil took ninth (+1.527), while Niko Hulkenberg drive his new Sauber Ferrari to tenth, 2.279 seconds back.

The surprise of the sessions was the McLaren Mercedes, which has continually struggled to utilize the new Pirellis and placed out of the top 10. Jenson Button finished in 11th place and 2.386 seconds back, while his new teammate Sergio Perez finished back in 13th (+2.658). Team principal Martin Whitmarsh seemed almost dejected with the lack of pace of the MP4-28 following practice.

"Well, today has been a very challenging day,” Whitmarsh said. Our car appears to be lacking in grip and consistency and is suffering from significant understeer and poor ride. Try as we might, we didn't move forward in performance terms during the course of the day, either.”

He did see light at the end of the tunnel however.

But, having said that, we've collected a lot of data,” he said. “You don't win World Championships in the first Grand Prix of the year; you win World Championships by managing the progressive development of your car from its baseline in Australia.”

For the rookie runners, Sauber's Esteban Guttierez placed 15th (+2.864), while William's Valterri Bottas ended the session 18th (+3.478) and two places behind teammate Pastor Maldonado. Marussia teammates Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton placed 19th and 21st, respectively. Giedo Van der Garde took the final spot in his Caterham Renault before going into the gravel and cutting his session short.

Pirelli has brought its super-soft and medium compounds to the season opener. With the gap differences at multiple seconds per lap on both tires and high-degradation a concern among many teams, strategy will play a key role. Pirelli expects a two- to three-stop race, but there have been talks of as many as four, depending on Sunday temperatures. It could be much different territory for teams who have yet to fully-understand the dynamics of the tire, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday at 1:55 a.m. ET to find out.

Photos: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Mercedes AMG F1, Lotus F1