George Russell took top honours at the end of free practice for the Australian Grand Prix. A session that marks the first time we have seen these all-new Formula 1 cars on a race weekend.
After an underwhelming FP1 in which he only managed 7th, Russell ended the following session in second, despite clipping the RB of Arvid Lindblad in the pit lane. The final session saw Mercedes turn their engines up and Russell duly capitalised. The five-time race winner surged to the top of the timesheets six tenths of a second clear of second-place Charles Leclerc. A wayward moment at turn one in FP2 was one of the few blemishes on a commendable free practice for both Leclerc and Ferrari. The Scuderia locked out the top two spots in FP1 with Leclerc four tenths clear of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion had a major scare in FP2, where he came across the slow-moving Alpine of Franco Colapinto on the main straight, but swiftly recovered to end the session fourth. With the second fastest time in the final part of practice, Hamilton underlined Ferrari’s strong pace.
Free practice in Melbourne revealed a unique facet of these new cars. With half their power now coming from electrical sources, drivers have to harvest energy in order to recharge their battery at various points over the lap. As a result, there is a noticeable slowing down at the end of long straights, even at full throttle. Often referred to as ‘super-clipping’ it is likely to be a regular fixture of this new rules set.
After suffering a power unit issue in FP1, Oscar Piastri bounced back to record the fastest time in FP2. The local hero ended the final session in fifth, underlining McLaren’s status as part of F1’s leading quartet.
Isack Hadjar had a couple of offs at turns five and 13 in FP2 before ending the final session in fifth, one place ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen, who ran off track at turn 10 in FP2 and complained of steering issues with his RB 22.
After setting the second fastest time in FP2, Kimi Antonelli’s FP3 was brought to a premature end. The Merecedes driver suffered a major crash after a slide at turn two that brought out the red flag. With qualifying set to begin just two and a half hours after the end of FP3, the Mercedes mechanics have an arduous job ahead of them if they are to get Antonelli’s car fixed in time.
Gabriel Bortoleto ended the final session ninth, one place ahead of Ollie Bearman and the RBs of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson. Audi’s pace has looked strong throughout the weekend, with a loose headrest for Hulkenberg in FP3 the only noticeable issue. Having adapted well to the challenge of manufacturing their own power units, Audi could find themselves in contention for points come race day.
Pierre Gasly ended the final session in 15th, ahead of his teammate Colapinto, who suffered an off at turn three in addition to his near miss with Hamilton in FP2. Alex Albon briefly stopped on track with a hydraulic issue in FP1 and ended FP3 with the 17th fastest time. Behind him was Fernando Alonso, who, after missing FP1, ended the final two sessions in 20th and 18th, respectively. His teammate Lance Stroll, failed to set a time in FP3, confirming Aston Martin’s technical issues.
Cadillac ended their first ever free practice in 19th and 20th with Valtteri Bottas outpacing Sergio Perez, who missed FP2 due to a mechanical issue, while Carlos Sainz failed to set a time in FP3 after his Williams ground to a halt after losing drive. Bad news for a team that has been prioritising mileage since missing the Barcelona shakedown.
Early signs point to Mercedes being the team to beat, but with the exact order of the top four still uncertain and reliability a major factor, it remains to be seen who will prevail in qualifying.
