Leclerc leads a busy session in Melbourne, marked by a constant exchange of positions between Ferrari and Red Bull, technical problems on the grid, and a solid start for Gabriel Bortoleto with Audi in the debut of Formula 1’s new era.
Read more F1: Check out the full results of FP1 for the 2026 Australian GP
Charles Leclerc finished in first position in the first free practice session of the Australian GP, the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The session held this Friday in Melbourne marked the beginning of the category’s new technical era, with smaller cars, an equal power split between the combustion engine and the electric system, as well as new aerodynamic solutions that replace the old DRS with an additional electric power system for overtaking.
It was a promising start for Ferrari, which secured a 1-2 finish with Lewis Hamilton in second position, but almost half a second behind his teammate. Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, completed the top three.
FP1 was busy from the first minutes, both due to the constant alternation in the lead and some mechanical problems across the grid. The session began with a relatively warm track, 21°C ambient temperature and 34°C on the asphalt, and Nico Hülkenberg was the first to leave the pits when the pit lane opened.
The weekend also marks the debut of two new teams on the grid: Audi, which takes over the former Sauber project and features Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto among its drivers, and Cadillac, which debuts as the 11th team in the championship, increasing the grid to 22 cars.
The first minutes were mainly dedicated to adapting to the new cars, with practically the entire grid using medium tires. The session had its first neutralization when Arvid Lindblad stopped right at the pit lane exit, causing a brief Virtual Safety Car period to remove the car. The driver was later able to return to the track and complete more laps.
Several drivers also reported technical problems during practice. Oscar Piastri reported a sudden loss of power in the McLaren car, while Lando Norris complained of jerks during downshifts. The situation ended up worsening for the current champion, who had a gearbox failure confirmed and abandoned the session in the first half of practice.
Aston Martin also faced difficulties. Fernando Alonso did not participate in the session due to battery problems, while Lance Stroll had his car dismantled in the pits after a power unit failure, ending his participation early.
Another moment of neutralization occurred when Alexander Albon stopped between turns 10 and 11 after a hydraulic problem in his Williams, causing another Virtual Safety Car period.
On track, the fight for the lead was intense throughout almost the entire session. Ferrari and Red Bull swapped the top spot several times, with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton momentarily appearing at the front as teams began using soft tires in the final part of practice.
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George Russell was one of the first to put on the softest compound, but his lap was not enough to put him in the lead. Shortly after, Verstappen took the lead by beating Leclerc by a small margin, before the Monegasque responded again with an even faster lap.
In the final minutes, Leclerc put a half-second gap over Hamilton to definitively retake the lead in FP1, confirming Ferrari as one of the initial benchmarks in this first contact with the new regulations.
Among the highlights of the session was also Arvid Lindblad, who managed to extract good performance on soft tires and appeared in fifth position after a strong second sector.
Gabriel Bortoleto also had a consistent practice in his season debut with Audi. The Brazilian initially appeared in the middle of the pack, moved into the top 10 using soft tires, and occupied seventh position during part of the session. In the final minutes, he returned to the track with medium tires for aerodynamic tests on the rear of the car, without seeking new fast laps.
The session also recorded some curious incidents. Sergio Pérez lost first the right and then the left mirror of his Cadillac during practice, while also reporting vibrations in the car and difficulties with engine braking.
In the final minutes, Oscar Piastri managed to improve his time and moved up to sixth position, which ended up pushing Bortoleto to ninth place in the standings.
The weekend in Melbourne continues this Friday with the second free practice session at 2:00 AM (Brasília time) this Friday (6th). FP2 should offer a clearer picture of the teams’ performance at the opening of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Follow all the information from the Australian GP live and in real-time at F1Mania.net.
Check out the FP1 results for the 2026 F1 Australian GP:
1) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’20.267
2) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’20.736
3) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’20.789
4) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’21.087
5) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’21.313
6) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’21.342
7) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’21.371
8) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’21.376
9) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’21.696
10) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’21.969
11) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’22.161
12) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’22.323
13) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’22.613
14) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’22.682
15) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’23.130
16) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’23.325
17) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’24.022
18) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’24.035
19) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’24.391
20) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’24.620
21) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’50.334
22) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/ Honda), no time
Read more 2026 Australian GP: F1 Free Practice 2 live at Albert Park
