2026 Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in FP1

The Albert Park circuit had already been considered one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar in terms of energy management over a lap.

Teams planned an intensive program, and drivers took to the track in the very first minutes of the session. The first driver out in the new season was Nico Hülkenberg with the Audi F1 Team.

Fernando Alonso remained in the garage. In the morning, Aston Martin F1 Team announced that he would miss the first practice session due to power unit problems on his car. His teammate Lance Stroll completed only three laps — the team led by Adrian Newey has not yet been able to run a full programme.

In the third minute of the session, the engine on Oscar Piastri’s car lost power. He returned to the pits and later went back out. Arvid Lindblad stopped at the pit-lane exit, prompting a Virtual Safety Car while mechanics pushed the car back. Lando Norris experienced a downshift problem and ended his session early.

Franco Colapinto ran into the gravel at Turn 3, while Carlos Sainz made the same mistake at Turn 12. Isack Hadjar also went off at Turn 1. Meanwhile, Sergio Pérez lost his right mirror due to vibrations on his car.

After spending the first half of the session running on Medium tyres, drivers switched to the Soft compound and increased their pace during short runs. Drivers from Red Bull Racing and Ferrari occupied the top four positions, while Mercedes was just over half a second behind.

In the 48th minute, Alexander Albon’s car stopped at the exit of Turn 12 due to a loss of hydraulic pressure. Another Virtual Safety Car was deployed while the car was moved behind the barriers.

Later, Sergio Pérez spun under braking into Turn 4 and went off the track but avoided contact with the barriers and continued.

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of the session with a 1:20.267. This was about three seconds slower than the best time set by Lando Norris in the first practice session in Melbourne in 2025.

Practice will continue later today.