The first day of free practice for the Grande Prêmio of Austrália of 2026, held this Friday (6) at the Albert Park circuit, in Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, set the best time in the second session (FP2) with 1min19s729, cheering the local fans. The track started with low grip in the morning, but evolved throughout the day, with teams focusing on energy management, tires and race simulations. Problemas of reliability and specific incidents marked the activities, while Mercedes and Ferrari showed consistency at different times.
Ferrari starts strong and maintains competitive pace
Charles The drivers highlighted the car’s good balance and adaptation to the Pirelli’s new tire compounds.
In FP2, Hamilton finished fourth and Leclerc fifth, keeping the team in contention for the lead. The team tested different configurations throughout the day and collected valuable data on race pace. The duo showed confidence for the next stages of the weekend.
McLaren overcomes initial problems and shines at home
Oscar Piastri faced difficulties in FP1 with a loss of power in the power unit, but recovered in the afternoon and set the fastest time of the day. The Australian highlighted the evolution of the car and the expectation of fighting for pole position.
Lando Norris had just seven laps in the first session due to a preventative gear change, but improved in FP2, finishing seventh. The team resolved transmission issues and focused on qualifying simulations. The managers pointed to nightly adjustments aimed at greater competitiveness.
Mercedes shows hidden potential and advances in FP2
The Mercedes adopted a conservative approach in FP1, focusing on battery and understeer correction, but made significant progress in the second session. Kimi Antonelli came in second, 0s214 behind Piastri, and George Russell completed the top 3.
Russell mentioned difficulties with energy harvesting in the morning, but praised the recovery. Antonelli highlighted learning with the car and strength in long runs. The team has completed an extensive high fuel load program and plans further progress for Saturday.
Red Bull faces incidents and seeks recovery
Max The Dutchman finished sixth in the afternoon session.
Isack Hadjar showed consistency alongside Verstappen. Problemas electronics and deployment marked the team’s day, which used a new power unit. Engineers stated that the repairs are feasible and that the focus will be on maximizing laps for the remainder of the weekend.
- Racing Bulls’s Arvid Lindblad impressed with fifth in FP1 and eighth in FP2.
- Pit lane incidents involved Russell and Lindblad, resulting in reprimand.
Reliability issues affect multiple teams
Aston Martin suffered from power unit failures, limiting laps of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in FP1. The team prioritized reliability recovery in FP2.
Alpine and Cadillac faced stalls and spins, with Franco Colapinto in neutral and Sergio Perez confined by hydraulic failures. Haas and Audi maintained cleaner sessions, with progress in energy management.
Pirelli observes track evolution and tire behavior
The Albert Park track showed graining on the front axle in all compounds (C3, C4 and C5), but controlled degradation. Diferenças between tires was around 0.3 to 0.5 seconds.
The teams used all compounds and collected extensive data on grip evolution. The focus for Saturday includes fine-tuning setup and tire strategy for qualifying and the race.
