FP1: Norris tops FP1 in Melbourne after Albon red flag incident

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Lando Norris delivered a stellar performance for McLaren, setting the fastest lap during the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix. Norris led Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes' George Russell in a lively session disrupted by Alex Albon’s crash.

Check out the results of the Australian Grand Prix weekend, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

Under clear skies at Albert Park, drivers battled an initially dusty track. The session saw multiple off-track excursions, the most significant coming 20 minutes before the end when Albon’s Williams hit the wall after negotiating Turn 7, forcing a red flag.

Upon resumption, a flurry of activity on soft tires ensued, but Norris retained the top spot with a 1m 18.564s lap, just 0.018s ahead of Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, followed by RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in fifth thanks to a well-timed run on softs. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll took sixth and seventh, respectively.

Carlos Sainz returned from surgery to secure eighth, while Lewis Hamilton, struggling with floor damage, claimed ninth. Incidents at the fast Turn 9/10 chicane affected several drivers, including Hamilton, Russell, Valtteri Bottas, and Fernando Alonso.

Home favorites Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo secured P10 and P11. Albon, despite causing the red flag, finished 12th. The top 14 included Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, and Nico Hulkenberg, with Alonso down in 18th post floor change. Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and Bottas rounded out the field.

Teams now have a couple of hours to analyze the data before the evening’s second practice session.

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