McLaren’s Oscar Piastri set the fastest time of two practice sessions on Friday at Formula 1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes and Ferrari also showed strong pace in Melbourne.
Piatri, driving on his home circuit, finished practice second, two tenths ahead of Kimi Antonelli, while his Italian Mercedes team-mate George Russell was third, 10% behind.
The timesheets indicate a very impressive turn of events for Ferrari as Charles Leclerc led a one-two from team-mate Lewis Hamilton, followed by Red Bulls’ Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Leclerc, barely half a second off the field in first practice, failed to actually improve his time in the second session as he finished fifth, suggesting Ferrari was unable to maximize its potential in late afternoon conditions.
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Charles Leclerc impressed after a fast start to practice in his Ferrari in P2 for the Australian GP.
Fourth place, three tenths behind Piastri, means he is the only driver to finish in the top four in both sessions on Friday.
Verstappen was six tenths off the pace in sixth after a technical fault kept him in the garage for almost half of the second session, forcing him to stop at the pitlane exit in the opening moments.
The Dutchman survived a major scare in the closing moments of the session when he dodged the barrier after hitting the gravel at high-speed Turn 10, but it appears his Red Bull still had significant floor damage.
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Max Verstappen had a ‘scary moment’ after a big P2 finish for Red Bull at the Australian GP.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris finished seventh for McLaren after facing reliability issues with a clutch issue that saw him run just seven laps in first practice.
Although he enjoyed almost uninterrupted track time in second practice, Norris attempted just one flying lap on his new soft tires. This will go some way to explaining the one-second deficit to your teammates.
Racing Bulls’ British rookie Arvid Lindblad completed an impressive debut full Friday practice display, finishing fifth in the first session and eighth in the second, beating Verstappen’s new team-mate Hadjar in the latter.
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Arvid Lindblad rides on George Russell’s front wing in the pit lane during his second place finish at the Australian GP.
Aston Martin’s disastrous start to the year continued with Friday’s run severely limited by further problems with the team’s troublesome Honda powerplant.
Fernando Alonso was forced to sit out the first session, with Lance Stroll managing just three laps, and the pair managed a combined 31 laps in the second, but Alonso’s best efforts still left him at the bottom of the timesheets, nearly five seconds off the pace.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1 Australian GP Schedule
Saturday, March 7th
00:10 AM: F3 Sprint*
1.10am: Australian GP Practice 3 (session starts at 1.30am)*
3:05 AM: F2 Sprint*
4.10am: Preparing for Australian GP qualifying*
5am: Australian Grand Prix Qualifying*
7 AM: Ted’s Qualifying Note*
9:45 PM: F3 Feature Race*
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As Formula 1 enters a new era, Grammy-nominated Tate McRae’s Just Keep Watching will become the new title track for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage this season and beyond.
Sunday March 8th
12:20 AM: F2 Feature Race*
2.30am: Build-up to Australian GP: Sunday Grand Prix*
4am: Australian Grand Prix*
6am: Australian GP reaction: checkered flag*
7 AM: Ted’s Note*
7.55am: Australian GP race replay*
10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)*
*Applies to Sky Sports main event as well
Watch every race of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports, starting this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
