McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the timesheet at Albert Park in a disrupted opening practice for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
The session at Albert Park was marred by two red flag interruptions, but Norris clinched the top spot with a late effort of 1m17.252s, edging out Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The one-hour session kicked off with Charles Leclerc setting the early pace at 1m17.880s. However, the track soon proved challenging, as both Red Bull drivers had close calls—Liam Lawson grazed the wall at Turn 9, while Max Verstappen slid through the gravel exiting Turn 6.
The first red flag came after debris was spotted on the track, likely from Jack Doohan’s Alpine, which had dragged gravel onto the racing line at the newly reprofiled Turn 6. Once cleared, Verstappen took advantage of the soft tires to momentarily set the fastest lap at 1m17.696s.
Just as the frontrunners started to gain momentum on fresh soft tires, the session was interrupted by a heavy crash involving Oliver Bearman at Turn 10.
The Briton lost control, slamming the right side of his car into the barriers before debris scattered across the track. The session remained paused for several minutes before resuming with just 11 minutes to go.
After the resumption, Yuki Tsunoda inadvertently blocked Norris’s first flying lap, but the Briton remained composed.
Teammate Oscar Piastri initially moved into third place with a strong lap, before Norris ultimately went quickest, thanks to a stellar final sector time.
Williams driver Alex Albon secured sixth place, while Verstappen had to settle for fifth. George Russell, the fastest Mercedes driver, spun off at Turn 4 just before the end, finishing seventh.
Fernando Alonso, an impressive Isack Hadjar and Lance Stroll closed out the top ten while Lewis Hamilton, surprisingly off the pace, ended up 12th for Ferrari.
Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion’s successor at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, managed 14th.
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