Ferrari made a lightning fast start to the weekend’s action at the Australian Grand Prix, as Carlos Sainz set the fastest time of the first practice session ahead of team mate Charles Leclerc.
The Spaniard set a time of 1m 19.806s around the resurfaced Albert Park track, with Charles Leclerc a further 0.571s behind. Sergio Perez finished P3 in the session – despite bringing out the red flags after he lost a piece of bodywork on track. Perez was a couple of tenths ahead of team mate Max Verstappen in fourth.
Also showing form in FP1 were the McLarens, as Lando Norris set the fifth fastest time of the session, while home favourite Daniel Ricciardo finished in eighth.
FP1: Sainz leads Ferrari team mate Leclerc in opening Australian Grand Prix practice session
On his return to the track, Sebastian Vettel suffered from more tough luck as he brought out another red flag in the session after he stopped on track due to a loss of power, an incident which forced a change of power unit for the German.
Watch the video above to see how the first practice session in Melbourne unfolded.
Next Up
Related Articles
Paddock InsiderVerstappen's Interlagos prowess could be key in title bid
Williams unveil new logo and evolved identity from 2026
Wheatley names area Bortoleto has surprised him most
Quiz10 questions on the latest news and F1 history in Brazil
Brown rules out picking favourite from Norris and Piastri
Beyond The GridStella and Brown on McLaren's miraculous transformation