Grosjean happy with Haas progress since Barcelona

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Haas F1 Team's Romain Grosjean wound up eight fastest in Friday's second practice session, a good performance which bodes well for the rest of the weekend.

Grosjean was once again challenged by brake issues however, overcoming two separate lock-ups - one which put him onto the grass in turn one and another that sent him on a brief drive through the gravel in turn three.

Nevertheless, the Frenchman put in 29 laps with his best being a 1:25.436 on his ninth lap while shod on a set of Purple ultrasoft tires.

Hamilton enjoys Friday clean sweep!

"It was a pretty good day on my side of the garage," said the Haas driver.

"The car felt much nicer than in winter testing, which is great. It’s good to be here and put the right setup on the car and go out there and have some fun.

"We more or less did the program we expected to do today, which is surprising for a first day in Australia, though there was a bit of trouble on the other side of the garage.

"Hopefully we can share our data and get even faster for tomorrow. I’m sure there are plenty of areas where we can improve. Hopefully, tomorrow’s going to be a good day."

GALLERY: all the pics from Friday's action

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.