Leclerc sets the pace in Australian GP FP2, leads Verstappen and Sainz
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the second Free Practice session (FP2) for the Australian Grand Prix, setting an impressive pace ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.
The session commenced under sunny skies at 1600 local time, but it wasn't without initial setbacks for some drivers. Max Verstappen experienced a delay due to necessary repairs on the floor of his RB20, following damage sustained in FP1. Meanwhile, Alex Albon had to miss the session entirely. Despite his heavy crash in FP1, the Thai driver remained uninjured, though his Williams team required additional time to fully assess the impact on his car.
Early in the session, Logan Sargeant had a spin, narrowly avoiding the barriers as the wind picked up. Other drivers, including the Mercedes duo, also had off-track excursions as the session progressed, signaling challenging conditions.
As the drivers began their flying laps on soft tyres, Charles Leclerc emerged the quickest with a time of 1m 17.277s, maintaining a 0.381s lead over Verstappen. Despite joining the session 25 minutes late, Verstappen managed to secure the second-fastest time, though slightly off-sync with the rest of the field.
Carlos Sainz, returning to action after appendicitis surgery two weeks ago, secured third. The Aston Martin pair, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, delivered strong performances, finishing in P4 and P5 respectively.
George Russell claimed the sixth-fastest time in what appeared to be a challenging session for Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton struggled, ending the session in a disappointing 18th place after aborting his first two flying laps.
Local favorite Oscar Piastri placed seventh, followed by Sergio Perez in eighth. Lando Norris, who was fastest in FP1, took P9, with Yuki Tsunoda completing the top 10.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloZhou Guanyu finished 11th for Alfa Romeo, while Daniel Ricciardo, in front of his home crowd, placed 12th. Logan Sargeant ended his turbulent session in 13th, with Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly following in P14 and P15 respectively.
Nico Hulkenberg, fresh from scoring a point for Haas in Saudi Arabia, took 16th place, ahead of Esteban Ocon in 17th. Kevin Magnussen ended this session in P19.
With Friday’s track activities now concluded, teams will pore over their data to fine-tune their setups ahead of Free Practice 3 on Saturday.
Stay tuned for continued coverage as we head into the crucial qualifying and race day sessions at the Australian Grand Prix.
