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F1 Australian GP: Norris fastest in FP1 as Bearman crashes, Hamilton only 12th

McLaren’s Lando Norris topped first practice for Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix ahead of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with the action disrupted twice by two red flag stoppages.

Leclerc led the first quarter of the one-hour session with an early benchmark of 1m17.880s, as the opening 15 minutes featured both Red Bull drivers getting away with wayward moments – Liam Lawson tapping the wall on approach to Turn 9 and Max Verstappen clipping the gravel exiting Turn 6.

After a lull in the action the session was briefly halted due to debris on track – possibly from Jack Doohan’s Alpine, which had been amongst the cars dragging gravel onto the track at the reprofiled Turn 6.

The session resumed just before the halfway stage, with Verstappen heading straight back out on the softs and duly going quickest with a 1m17.696s.

The rest of the frontrunners were already set to complete their first flying laps on the softs much later, with Leclerc slotting into second by 0.060s just after Sainz had gone quickest for Williams with a 1m17.401s.

But the session was then suspended when Oliver Bearman crashed heavily after going off exiting the rapid Turn 10 right – the Briton smashing the right-hand side of his car against the outside barrier before the wreckage bounced back across the track.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

The action only resumed with 11 minutes remaining, after which Norris had his first attempt at a flying lap wrecked by Yuki Tsunoda nipping ahead just as the Briton was about to open up.

Oscar Piastri did get a flier in with fresh softs on the other McLaren just afterwards, with the home hero going 0.269s slower than Sainz to run third, before Norris demoted him with an effort just 0.117s down on Sainz, but with the quickest time in the final sector.

In the final minutes, Norris shot to the top of the times with a 1m17.252s, while Alex Albon put the second Williams sixth behind Verstappen’s best effort.

George Russell, who finished seventh as the top Mercedes runner, spun off at Turn 4 just before the finish, putting his right-side wheels on the grass after exiting Turn 3.

Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar and Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10, while Lewis Hamilton was only 12th for Ferrari and his replacement at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, was just 14th.

F1 Australian GP – FP1 results

   
1
 - 
4
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval Tyres km/h
1 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes 21

1'17.252

    245.958
2 Spain C. Sainz Williams 55 Williams Mercedes 25

+0.149

1'17.401

0.149   245.485
3 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari 21

+0.209

1'17.461

0.060   245.295
4 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes 20

+0.418

1'17.670

0.209   244.634
5 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull 21

+0.444

1'17.696

0.026   244.553
6 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes 18

+0.461

1'17.713

0.017   244.499
7 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes 26

+0.464

1'17.716

0.003   244.490
8 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes 23

+0.484

1'17.736

0.020   244.427
9 France I. Hadjar Racing Bulls 6   Honda 25

+0.595

1'17.847

0.111   244.078
10 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes 20

+0.805

1'18.057

0.210   243.422
11 Japan Y. Tsunoda Racing Bulls 22   Red Bull 23

+0.809

1'18.061

0.004   243.409
12 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Ferrari 44 Ferrari Ferrari 20

+0.819

1'18.071

0.010   243.378
13 Australia J. Doohan Alpine 7 Alpine Renault 20

+0.980

1'18.232

0.161   242.877
14 Italy A. Antonelli Mercedes 12 Mercedes Mercedes 25

+1.138

1'18.390

0.158   242.388
15 Brazil G. Bortoleto Sauber 5 Sauber Ferrari 22

+1.186

1'18.438

0.048   242.239
16 New Zealand L. Lawson Red Bull Racing 30 Red Bull Honda 22

+1.203

1'18.455

0.017   242.187
17 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault 23

+1.253

1'18.505

0.050   242.032
18 Germany N. Hulkenberg Sauber 27 Sauber Ferrari 18

+1.334

1'18.586

0.081   241.783
19 France E. Ocon Haas F1 Team 31 Haas Ferrari 16

+1.887

1'19.139

0.553   240.094
20 United Kingdom O. Bearman Haas F1 Team 87 Haas Ferrari 12

+2.060

1'19.312

0.173   239.570

Photos from Australian GP - Free Practice

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Fans

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group and Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Bird's eye view of the Albert Park

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Williams

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Carlos Sainz, Williams

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor of Alpine F1

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lando Norris, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Carlos Sainz, Williams

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

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Alex Kalinauckas
Formula 1
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