Teams have opted to send their cars and equipment early to ensure they are not trapped by the storm or its aftermath when departing for next week’s Australian Grand Prix.

As previously reported, Brisbane-based Triple Eight dispatched its truck early on Thursday afternoon, while Gold Coast squad PremiAir Racing followed suit in the evening.

Matt Stone Racing and Dick Johnson Racing had also completed early truck packs on Thursday but initially decided to stick to their scheduled Sunday departure.

A decision was taken this morning to depart, the trucks leaving together just after 10:30am with a plan to take an inland route to avoid coastal flooding.

DJR and MSR are based either side of the Pacific Motorway at Stapylton and Yatala respectively.

South East Queensland teams would ordinarily have departed their bases on Sunday ahead of bump-in at the Albert Park circuit on Tuesday.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to reach land on Saturday morning, having initially been forecast to arrive as early as Thursday.

The impact of the weather system is already being felt, with heavy rains lashing the Gold Coast today.