McLaren’s Oscar Piastri set the fastest time of Friday’s two practice sessions at Formula 1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes and Ferrari also exhibited strong pace in Melbourne.
Piastri, driving at his hometown circuit, finished second practice two tenths clear of Kimi Antonelli, with the Italian’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell a tenth further back in third, but the Silver Arrows also caught the eye with their longer runs towards the end of the session.
The timesheet represented a turnaround from the opening session, in which Ferrari had looked hugely impressive when Charles Leclerc led a one-two from team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar having finished behind them.
Leclerc, who was almost half a second clear of the field in first practice, actually failed to improve his time as he finished fifth in the second session, which suggested Ferrari were unable to maximise their potential in the late afternoon conditions.
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Charles Leclerc impresses with rapid practice start in his Ferrari during P2 of the Australian GP.
Hamilton’s fourth place, three tenths back from Piastri, meant he was the only driver to finish both of Friday’s sessions in the top four.
Verstappen was six tenths off the pace in sixth after being kept in the garage for almost half of the second session by a technical glitch that caused him to stop in the pit lane exit in the opening moments.
The Dutchman survived a major scare in the closing moments of the session as he avoided the barrier after running into the gravel at the high-speed Turn 10, but there did still appear to be considerable floor damage to his Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen has a ‘scary moment’ after a big off during P2 in his Red Bull at the Australian GP.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren after also being struck by a reliability issue, in the form of a clutch problem that limited his running in first practice to just seven laps.
While he enjoyed largely uninterrupted track time in second practice, Norris only had one clean attempt at a flying lap on fresh soft tyres, which perhaps goes some way to explaining a one-second deficit to his team-mate.
Racing Bulls’ British rookie Arvid Lindblad completed an impressive debut full Friday practice display by backing up fifth in the first session with eighth in the second, edging out Verstappen’s new team-mate Hadjar in the latter.
Aston Martin’s woeful start to the year continued as their running was heavily limited by more issues with the team’s troublesome Honda power unit.
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Arvid Lindblad runs overs George Russell’s front wing in pit lane during P2 at the Australian GP.
Fernando Alonso was forced to sit out the first session while Lance Stroll managed just three laps, and although the pair managed a combined 31 laps in the second hour, they remained at the bottom of the timesheet with Alonso’s best effort still almost five seconds off the pace.
The only driver behind the Aston Martins in the second session was Sergio Perez, who was unable to set a time for Cadillac as what had been a solid first day for the F1 newcomers finished on a sour note when the Mexican stopped on track in the closing stages.
His team-mate Valtteri Bottas managed a highly respectable 28 laps, but was almost four seconds off the pace with a best lap that left him 19th.
Mystery remains in battle of the big four
After the biggest regulation change in the sport’s history, which has seen both new chassis and power units introduced for 2026, it became clear during an extended pre-season to test the new machinery that the sport’s ‘big four’ teams remained fastest.
The big mystery was in what order, with McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull having spent much of testing explaining why their rivals were fast, and playing down their own pace.
The team most hotly tipped in the paddock has undoubtedly been Mercedes, which meant it was something of a surprise when Russell and Antonelli finished more than a second behind Leclerc in the first session.
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Martin Brundle gave Craig Slater his thoughts on what was an intriguing first day of practice this season.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said after the session that his team wasn’t “in such a good place” but his confidence that they would improve throughout the weekend was vindicated by a much improved showing later on.
Antonelli and Russell were not only able to improve on Leclerc’s leading time from the morning, but also impressed rivals in the paddock with their apparent pace on longer runs.
McLaren endured a challenging day with both drivers losing track time to technical issues in first practice, but Piastri’s late show of pace offered a reminder that the reigning champions could still be in the mix for pole on Saturday.
Ferrari picked up where they left off after an impressive pre-season by starting fast in first practice, but Leclerc’s failure to improve in the second session following a set-up change may have halted his momentum.
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Lewis Hamilton just avoids ‘crazy slow’ Franco Colapinto on the pit straight during P2 of the Australian GP.
Hamilton was able to go half a second faster in the second session, providing further evidence that the seven-time world champion feels far more comfortable in this Ferrari than the one he struggled badly in during his first campaign with the team last year.
Verstappen had appeared closely matched with Ferrari for much of first practice, but his progress was halted by a technical failure at the start of the second session which would keep him in the garage for almost 30 minutes.
From there, the four-time world champion was playing catch up, which perhaps showed as he pushed too hard and went for a bumpy ride through the gravel on the outside of turn 10 in the closing stages.
While the pre-season consensus that Mercedes are the team to beat remains intact, the first qualifying session of the season, live on Sky Sports at 5am on Saturday, will be one of the sport’s most anticipated for a long time.
Sky Sports F1’s Australian GP schedule
Saturday March 7
0.10am: F3 Sprint*
1.10am: Australian GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30am)*
3.05am: F2 Sprint*
4.10am: Australian GP Qualifying build-up*
5am: AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
7am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
9.45pm: F3 Feature Race*
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As Formula 1 enters a new era, Tate McRae’s GRAMMY-nominated Just Keep Watching will become the new title track for Sky Sports’ F1 coverage this season and beyond.
Sunday March 8
12.20am: F2 Feature Race*
2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
6am: Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
7am: Ted’s Notebook*
7.55am: Australian GP race replay*
10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch every race of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
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