Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc kicked off the season in style, leaving his new teammate Lewis Hamilton in the dust during Australian Grand Prix practice on Friday. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen wasn’t having the best day, struggling to get his Red Bull car under control.
Leclerc was third-fastest in FP1 but stepped it up in FP2, setting the fastest lap of the day at 1:16.439 on soft tires. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri came in just 0.124 seconds behind him, with teammate Lando Norris taking third.
Hamilton, meanwhile, improved from 12th in FP1 to fifth in FP2, but he was still over four-tenths of a second slower than Leclerc. Not exactly the kind of debut he’d want with Ferrari, but hey, it’s early days.
Red Bull in Trouble?
While Leclerc was flying, Verstappen had a rough time. The three-time defending champ wasn’t feeling his car at all, finishing fifth in FP1 and seventh in FP2 after struggling to put in a quick lap on soft tires.
“Somehow the grip was not coming alive and just struggling on all four tyres, really, in sector one and the last sector,” Verstappen told Sky Sports.
Even worse? He doesn’t seem too confident about fixing it.
Liam Lawson, filling in as Verstappen’s new teammate, wasn’t much better, landing 17th in FP2, one place lower than he managed in FP1.
Mercedes Still Playing Catch-Up
Mercedes also had some work to do. George Russell landed seventh and 10th in the two sessions, while 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished 14th and 16th in his first official F1 weekend.
Russell wasn’t loving the car, complaining about understeer at high speed and excessive heat. He even spun off the track near the end of FP1, barely avoiding a head-on crash into the wall.
Midfield Battle is Tight
As teams switched to harder tires and long-run setups toward the end of FP2, Norris set the pace, barely edging out Leclerc and Verstappen. However, he admitted he’s still not totally comfortable with the car.
“High fuel, I felt good. Just low fuel was still similar to Bahrain (testing), too many inconsistencies, too many problems, so a bit of a struggle,” Norris said.
Piastri, though, was feeling better about his McLaren.
“Still a few things to iron out to make the car feel a bit nicer,” he said.
Rookies Have a Rough Day
The Racing Bulls squad turned heads, with Yuki Tsunoda taking an impressive fourth in FP2 after missing out on a Red Bull seat to Lawson. His rookie teammate, Isack Hadjar, finished sixth, a big step up from FP1.
Other rookies had a tougher time. Oliver Bearman had to sit out FP2 after a heavy crash in FP1, where he lost his rear wheel and spun across the track. The Haas driver apologized to his team after the wreck.
Meanwhile, Jack Doohan (Alpine) and Lawson both had to repair their car floors after veering off-track earlier in the day.
What’s Next?
With qualifying on Saturday expected to be in scorching heat and Sunday’s race possibly getting hit with rain, anything could happen. Less than a second separated the top 14 drivers in FP2, meaning this race could be way closer than expected.
One thing’s for sure: Ferrari looks strong, Red Bull has problems, and McLaren is right in the mix. Buckle up—it’s gonna be a wild weekend.
Check: Hamilton Gears Up for Ferrari Debut, Piastri Chases First Home Win at Aussie GP
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