Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix, edging McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, while world champion Max Verstappen struggled with handling issues.
Leclerc topped the timesheets with a lap 0.124 seconds quicker than home favourite Piastri, who was just 0.017secs ahead of teammate Norris. Lewis Hamilton, making his Ferrari debut, finished fifth, 0.420secs off his teammate’s pace.
Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bull was the surprise name in fourth, while his rookie teammate Isack Hadjar placed sixth, ahead of Verstappen’s senior Red Bull. Verstappen abandoned his soft-tyre qualifying simulation after struggling with cornering at Turn Three, leaving him outside the top six.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg took eighth, followed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Mercedes’ George Russell.
During race simulations, Norris appeared to have the best pace, lapping around 0.2secs quicker than both Leclerc and Verstappen. Hamilton trailed his Ferrari teammate by a similar margin. Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who impressed in the first session, remained competitive on race fuel, running between the pace of Leclerc and Hamilton.
Mercedes opted for hard tyres in their race runs, while Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull used mediums, making direct comparisons difficult. Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who placed 16th on single-lap pace, matched Russell’s times in long-run conditions.
The session ran without major incidents, aside from Hulkenberg’s brief off-track excursion at Turn Six. This contrasted with the earlier session, which saw two red flags, including a heavy crash for Haas driver Oliver Bearman at Turn 10. The Briton’s car suffered extensive damage, preventing him from participating in second practice.
Off track, all 10 teams have signed their commercial agreements with Formula 1, securing their commitment to the sport until 2030. However, further negotiations with governing body FIA remain pending before final contracts are completed.
The Australian Grand Prix weekend continues, with the race scheduled to begin at 04:00 GMT on Sunday, 16 March.
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