Lando Norris was fastest in first practice for the Australian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver set a 17.252 putting himself a tenth and a half ahead of the Williams of Carlos Sainz. Following testing McLaren have tried to play down its favourites label, but many of its rivals and the media have dismissed that as spin.
Norris’s main rival going into this season Ferrari was third with Charles Leclerc two-tenths off the McLaren’s time. The Englishman set his fastest time in the closing moments of the session to push his former teammate off the top spot, while Williams has significantly improved from last year they are firmly believed to be in the midfield behind the top four teams.
Oscar Piastri put his McLaren fourth four-tenths off his teammate as he went a quarter of a tenth faster than Max Verstappen. Red Bull go into the season believed to be on the back foot going into the season with the Dutchman almost four and a half tenths off the outright pace, while Alex Albon backed up the speed that Williams has going sixth fastest.
However, Verstappen did go wide at Turn Six, and through the gravel while his teammate Liam Lawson brushed the wall at Clark Chicane (Turn Nine-Ten). Red Bull goes into the season on the back foot as they appear not to have made gains to allow them to return to the front of the field and dominate as they have done for most of this regulation cycle.
George Russell put his Mercedes seventh, the Englishman three thousandths behind Albon as he went two hundredths ahead of Fernando Alonso. Russell managed to keep his car out the wall after being sent into a spin after touching the wall at Turn Four, avoiding the wall. Isack Hadjar managed to split the two Aston Martins going two-tenths faster than Lance Stroll to complete the top ten.
But the biggest moment of the session was caused by Ollie Bearman, the Haas driver wasn’t as lucky as Lawson when he also spun at the Clark Chicane. Bearman slammed the car into the wall bringing out the red flag before apologising to the team, as he put debris over the track.
Yuki Tsunoda put his Racing Bull eleventh the Japanese driver missing out on the top ten by half a hundredth. Tsunoda put his Racing Bull a hundredth ahead of Lewis Hamilton, going into the weekend the seven-time champion admitted he was still getting to grips with the Ferrari.
Hamilton was ahead of a trio of rookies, Jack Doohan going a tenth and a half ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Lawson was sixteenth ahead of his defacto home Grand Prix, the New Zealander put his Red Bull sixteenth eight tenths behind Verstappen. He also survived contact at the Clark Chicane with no major damage.
Pierre Gasly put his Alpine seventeenth going eight hundredths faster than Nico Hulkenberg, as the two Haas completed the field. Esteban Ocon was nearly a tenth and three-quarters faster than Bearman following his crash.
