AUSTRALIAN GP – Fernando Alonso fastest by half a second in second practice ahead of Charles Leclerc
Fernando Alonso was fastest in second practice ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, the Aston Martin driver set an 18.887 going nearly half a second faster than the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Red Bulls Max Verstappen was third six tenths off in another session which saw mix conditions.
Alonso set his fastest time in the first dry fifteen minutes on the soft tyre that put him ahead of Verstappen. However, he did his fastest time on the medium tyre which put the Red Bull driver six tenths off on what was overall a scrappy day for Verstappen which left him a tenth and a half behind Leclerc.
Like in FP1, Verstappen once again found himself caught out by oversteer through Jones then was unable to improve once the conditions change. Leclerc just managed to fit his lap in before the rain came to move ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, who he leads by a point in the championship struggled to get a reprehensive lap in leaving him seventh. The Mexican kept finding slower cars in his way on each of his qualifying sims, during the fifteen minute window when the conditions were at their best.
George Russell put his Mercedes fourth going two hundredths faster than Carlos Sainz. However Russell had made the wrong call as did the Ferrari, Russell went out on the inters and the Ferrari on soft, the track was in the difficult in-between phase between wet and dry tyres.
Russell nearly crashing the Mercedes at Turn Three the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll also went into a slide and through the gravel trap. Lando Norris continued McLarens strong recovery from the difficulties in Bahrain and Jeddah, he was eighth fastest going ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.
Norris raised eyebrows with a sideways exit out of his McLaren garage to start the session, and then he took a short trip across the Turn 1 grass. But it caused no drama for the Englishman.
Yuki Tsunoda was eleventh he was a hundredth and a half behind his former teammate and nearly a tenth faster than the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton was six hundredths ahead of Oscar Piastri, the two drivers both splitting the Alfa Romeo’s.
Lance Stroll couldn’t find the same pace as teammate Fernando Alonso leaving him in sixteenth, a second and seven-tenths off. But the Canadian was two hundredths faster than Nyck De Vries, despite nearly hitting the wall on the exit of Ten.
Alex Albon was eighteenth going eight hundredths faster than Kevin Magnussen, the British-Thai driver setting his fastest time at the track began to dry towards the end of the session.
Kevin Magnussen rounded out the field in twentieth.