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Event

Australian Grand Prix Practice 2

Started 131 days, 23 hours, 32 minutes ago

Date & Time
Fri 6th March 2026 4:00pm Local
Fri 6th March 2026 5:00am UTC

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League
Formula 1

Season
2026

Round
Round 1

Status
FT

Location

Albert Park Circuit

Video Highlights

Play on YouTube

Event Statistics

Description

Following a Ferrari-dominated opening session, Free Practice 2 at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit serves as the definitive form guide for the weekend. With track temperatures dropping as the sun dips lower over the Melbourne skyline, teams transition from experimental setups to qualifying simulations and high-fuel long runs.

The spotlight remains on Mercedes, who showcased surprising "straight-line" efficiency in FP1 but lacked the cornering stability of the Ferraris. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are under pressure to prove that the Silver Arrows can challenge for the front row under the new 2026 technical regulations. Meanwhile, McLaren is desperate for a clean hour of running after Lando Norris lost significant time to a gearbox scare in the first session. For the home fans, the goal is simple: see Oscar Piastri breach the top five and demonstrate that the MCL40 has the race pace to fight for a historic home podium.

Reports

Result List

01	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Formula 1 Team	1:19.729
02	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team	+0.214s
03	George Russell	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team	+0.320s
04	Lewis Hamilton	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+0.321s
05	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+0.562s
06	Max Verstappen	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+0.637s
07	Lando Norris	McLaren Formula 1 Team	+1.065s
08	Arvid Lindblad	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team	+1.193s
09	Isack Hadjar	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+1.212s
10	Esteban Ocon	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+1.450s
11	Oliver Bearman	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+1.597s
12	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi Revolut F1 Team	+1.622s
13	Liam Lawson	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team	+1.629s
14	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi Revolut F1 Team	+1.939s
15	Alexander Albon	Williams Racing	+2.118s
16	Pierre Gasly	BWT Alpine Formula One Team	+2.438s
17	Carlos Sainz Jr	Williams Racing	+2.524s
18	Franco Colapinto	BWT Alpine Formula One Team	+2.890s
19	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac Formula 1 Team	+3.931s
20	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team	+4.933s
21	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team	+6.087s

Result Description

Oscar Piastri sent the home crowd into a frenzy by topping the timesheets in the second practice session for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. After a relatively quiet FP1, the Australian found a "sweet spot" with the soft tire compound, clocking a 1:19.729 to edge out the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli by 0.214 seconds. Piastri’s lap was a significant statement of intent for McLaren, especially as his teammate Lando Norris continued to struggle with intermittent clutch issues, finishing a distant seventh.

The session was far from orderly, characterized by the "teething problems" typical of a new regulation era. Max Verstappen suffered a frustrating start, stalling his Red Bull at the pit exit and losing twenty minutes to a software reset before eventually recovering to P6. Mercedes confirmed their status as genuine contenders, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (now in Ferrari scarlet) finishing third and fourth respectively, separated by just one-thousandth of a second. The biggest drama involved a terrifying near-miss on the main straight when Franco Colapinto's Alpine suddenly slowed, forcing Hamilton into a high-speed evasive maneuver. At the back of the grid, Aston Martin's nightmare continued; Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll propped up the bottom of the timing screens as the team admitted they were "blindsided" by power unit vibration issues from their new Honda partnership.

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