OSCAR PIASTRI finished the opening day of the new Formula One season with the fastest time during Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver delivered an impressive lap in the second practice session. He ended the day 0.214 seconds ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli’s teammate George Russell recorded the third-fastest time. Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc followed closely behind. Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen also remained among the front-running drivers.
Mercedes Shows Strong Race Pace
Although Piastri topped the practice times, Mercedes looked very strong during long race simulations.
Russell produced impressive lap times during his long runs. Some observers estimated his pace to be as much as 0.6 seconds per lap quicker than rivals during race-distance runs.
Many teams are still trying to understand the new engine regulations introduced this season. The latest hybrid systems now split power almost equally between the internal combustion engine and electric energy.
Teams must carefully manage energy deployment to achieve the best lap times.
Ferrari Concerned About Pace
Ferrari began the day strongly and briefly led the timesheets. However, their rivals improved later in the sessions.
Leclerc admitted that Mercedes appeared especially strong during race simulations. He suggested Ferrari might currently be slightly behind their main competitors.
Despite that concern, teams expect the competition at the front to remain tight throughout the weekend.
Norris and Verstappen Face Minor Issues
World champion Lando Norris finished seventh fastest in his McLaren. A gearbox issue affected his running in the first session.
Meanwhile, Verstappen struggled to show his full pace. Problems during his soft-tyre run and a mistake at Turn 10 limited his performance.
Young British rookie Arvid Lindblad, driving for RB Formula One Team, also impressed during the session.
Aston Martin Faces Difficult Start
While the battle at the front looks competitive, Aston Martin F1 Team experienced a difficult day.
The team finished almost five seconds off the pace. Team principal Adrian Newey openly discussed the team’s struggles.
Newey also revealed that star driver Fernando Alonso is in a “hard mental place” due to engine partner Honda struggling with performance and reliability.
Despite the challenges, teams expect performance levels to change quickly as they learn more about the new cars and engine systems.
