Oscar Piastri has given his hometown something to cheer about in the final Friday session of the Australian GP. The #81 topped the timeboard for the majority of the session, setting a lap of 1:19.729. But it’s still early days for the 2026 Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix, with another practice session and qualifying to go. Read on for the key points of the F1 Free Practice 2 session.
Reliability Still a Major Headache
Multiple drivers were still experiencing some teething issues. Seconds after the green light, there was some priority confusion between the rookie Arvid Lindblad and George Russell. The result was a clipped front wing on the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team car, with the incident to be investigated after the session.
After the earlier Free Practice 1 session, all eyes were on the Scuderia Ferrari HP F1 team to see if they could replicate another one-two result. However, Lewis Hamilton had to take evasive action to avoid Franco Colapinto, who got stuck in neutral on the main straight as the #44 was finishing up a hot lap. Hamilton was able to bank another to join the top performers, right in front of Charles Leclerc.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was stuck in the pit lane and stuck in gear, with no choice but for the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team mechanics to push him back to the garage. The Cadillac Formula 1 Team had some mechanical woes of their own, finding a sensor issue on Sergio Perez’s car and delaying his start in the session. When Perez did come out in the final few minutes, he was unable to complete a single lap before having to pull off to the side. Thankfully, the Virtual Safety Car brought out did return, so others on track could bank their final laps.
The next team to experience issues was the Atlassian Williams F1 Team. Mechanics surrounded the #55 car of Carlos Sainz, while Albon was waiting on the otherside of the garage. Shortly after, the word was that Sainz was done for the day without having done any laps on the soft rubber.
Impressive Form Showcased by the Outliers
Both McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team drivers zoomed out of the garage amid their earlier session problems. But it was Piastri who took an early spot at the top with a 1:20.638. Russell quickly beat it on the soft compound by nearly six-tenths of a second. His teammate, Kimi Antonelli, pushed the Australian further down, as did Hamilton in the Ferrari. While Russell locked up and found the gravel at Turn 3, he continued to keep pace.
Piastri wasn’t kept down for long, though, setting the fastest lap of the session. However, Audi Revolut F1 Team and TGR Haas F1 Team pulled some strong results, finding themselves in the midfield on the board. Meanwhile, the top Red Bull on the timesheets was Lindblad for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team.
Verstappen seemed to overcome his earlier problems, pushing his car to the limit. But the #3 did have a scary moment at Turn 10, flinging off into the gravel after a late oversteer. In his effort to correct, the gravel appeared to damage the car and cause something to fly off. Turn 3 claimed a few victims, including both Ferrari drivers, while Isack Hadjar locked up and ran over the grass.
Aston Martin Makes a Full Appearance
Given all their issues, we knew going into the weekend that the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team would not be strong contenders. However, Fernando Alonso finally came out for the first time on Friday after missing the earlier session. The #14 still appeared to have power unit issues, as he returned to the garage without a lap time set. On the otherside of the garage, Lance Stroll completed his first hot lap — six seconds off the pace.
Later in the session, Stroll was called back into the garage with the reported issue. Alonso, with a new suspension change, made his way back out onto the Albert Park circuit. But there was no improvement in time, leaving both Aston Martin drivers at the bottom of the timesheets. They were bookended only by the two Cadillac drivers.
Heading into Saturday
With pending FIA investigations, some drivers could feel additional pressure to perform during qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Not to mention, there are still some power unit and mechanical issues plaguing the paddock. All teams will aim to knock out those bugs during the Free Practice 3 session. At this point, numerous drivers are setting strong benchmark laps. It could be any of them that claim the first pole of the 2026 F1 season. All will be revealed as we follow the action on Saturday.