Winners and Losers from F1 Australian Grand Prix Practice Sessions The first two hours of on-track action at the Australian Grand Prix provided insights into the competitive landscape for the 2026 Formula 1 season, revealing both unexpected challenges and promising performances. Teams and drivers faced a mix of technical hurdles, strategic adjustments, and varying levels of preparation, shaping the early dynamics of the race weekend. Aston Martin emerged as a major disappointment, with its performance in practice sessions highlighting significant mechanical and power-related issues. Adrian Newey confirmed Honda’s struggles, noting the team had only two working batteries remaining, severely limiting the car’s potential. Fernando Alonso, the team’s star driver, was absent from FP1 and struggled in FP2, completing 18 laps but finishing nearly five seconds behind the pace. Lance Stroll managed only 13 laps in FP2, placing him six seconds off the lead. Despite these setbacks, the team still hopes to qualify for the race, though its chances of competing effectively remain uncertain. Mercedes, once considered a pre-season favorite, faced its own challenges. George Russell encountered difficulties in FP1, and while his team showed improvement in FP2, he failed to match the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull. The team’s performance suggested a more competitive race weekend ahead, but the gap between Mercedes and its rivals remained evident. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri of McLaren stood out as a standout performer, finishing fastest overall and comfortably ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, who struggled with a clutch issue in FP1. Piastri’s strong showing bolstered McLaren’s hopes for a strong 2026 campaign.#oscar_piastri #aston_martin #adrian_newey #fernando_alonso #lance_stroll
Australian GP: Oscar Piastri tops Practice One for McLaren as Mercedes and Ferrari also show strong pace in Melbourne McLaren's Oscar Piastri set the fastest time of Friday's two practice sessions at the Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, outpacing Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Piastri finished second practice two tenths ahead of Antonelli, with Russell a tenth further back in third. Mercedes also impressed with their longer runs toward the end of the session, despite Russell and Antonelli finishing more than a second behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the first session. Leclerc, who led the first practice session by almost half a second, failed to improve his time in the second session, finishing fifth. This suggested Ferrari struggled to maximize their potential in late afternoon conditions. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished fourth, three tenths behind Piastri, and was the only driver to complete both sessions in the top four. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, faced challenges in the second session after a technical glitch forced him into the garage for nearly half the session. The Dutchman also avoided a barrier at high-speed Turn 10 after running into the gravel, though his car sustained significant damage. Reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren finished seventh after a clutch issue limited his running in the first session, though he managed uninterrupted track time in the second. Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls finished fifth overall, ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who was sixth. George Russell of Mercedes and Antonelli of Mercedes followed closely, with Russell just 0.04 seconds behind Antonelli. Other notable performances included Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi, Esteban Ocon of Haas, and Carlos Sainz of Williams.#charles_leclerc #ferrari #mclaren #oscar_piastri #mercedes
