2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix – Friday Practice Results

Charles Leclerc led the way in the opening session of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix, leading team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a session where reliability issues struck multiple teams. 

Leclerc’s late 1:20.267s effort put him 0.469s clear of Hamilton and the chasing pack, with Red Bull providing the biggest threat across the one hour session. Max Verstappen was third fastest, closely followed by new team-mate Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. 

Oscar Piastri was sixth-fastest as McLaren battled with reliability concerns, which forced both drivers to return to the pits. But while Piastri was able to return to the action, Norris was restricted to the garage as the team investigated a potential gearbox issue, leaving his 19th and without a representative time.

The Mercedes and Audi pairings completed the top 10, with George Russell heading the quartet.

Aston Martin endured a session to forget, with Fernando Alonso failing to take to the track at all, while Lance Stroll completed a single timed effort before ending his track time. Both exits were blamed on suspected Honda power unit issues, adding further questions on the team’s ability to reach the flag on Sunday.

Williams also suffered a reliability blow, with Alex Albon stopping on-track midway through the session after suffering a loss of hydraulic pressure, which cut his power steering.