Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on top after an eventful Friday in Melbourne; Logan Sargeant misses rest of weekend after Alex Albon crash leaves Williams with just one useable chassis; watch qualifying from 5am on Saturday with lights on Sunday at 4am - live on Sky Sports F1
Friday 22 March 2024 15:34, UK
Charles Leclerc was quickest from Max Verstappen in second practice on a dramatic Friday at the Australian Grand Prix.
Leclerc appeared comfortable from the outset in his Ferrari and was 0.381s ahead of Verstappen, whose day was far from straightforward as damage to the floor of his car sustained in the first session saw him miss the opening 20 minutes of the second.
Verstappen has begun his quest for a fourth successive drivers' title by leading dominant Red Bull one-twos at the two opening events and leads the championship by 15 points from team-mate Sergio Perez.
There was reason for further encouragement at Ferrari as Carlos Sainz was third after his return from surgery for appendicitis, which forced him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Despite his impressive display, Leclerc was among several drivers to be caught out by the challenging conditions at Albert Park, with the bumpy circuit a factor in causing regular offs in both sessions.
The most significant of those incidents came in first practice when Williams driver Alex Albon had a big crash as he went off in the high-speed first sector and hit two walls.
It emerged after the incident that Williams do not have a spare chassis at Albert Park, and with Albon going on to miss the second session while the team assessed the situation, the team confirmed later on Friday that they would not be able to repair the "extensive" damage sustained in time.
With only one useable chassis left, the team decided that Albon, who comprehensively outperformed Sargeant last year in their first campaign as team-mates, will drive it in qualifying and Sunday's race.
"Due to the fact that a third chassis is unavailable, the team can confirm it has taken the decision for Alex to compete for the remainder of the weekend in the chassis that Logan Sargeant drove in FP1 and FP2," confirmed the team.
Several other drivers also had offs but managed to avoid the walls, including Lewis Hamilton who endured what he described as his "worst session" for a long time as the Mercedes driver finished 18th in Practice Two.
Hamilton went wide at Turn 10 on more than one occasion and also had a trip through the grass at the first chicane, underlining his dissatisfaction with his car.
The seven-time world champion failed to get a clean lap in on his soft tyre runs, before damaging a brake drum when running wide, which resulted in him losing track time as the team attempted to repair the issue.
Behind what appears likely to be a battle for pole between Ferrari and Red Bull, Aston Martin looked strong as Lance Stroll finished a place ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso in fourth.
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell was sixth ahead of Oscar Piastri, who was two places ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, with Sergio Perez eighth for Red Bull.
Earlier in the day, Norris was fastest in an eventful first practice session from Verstappen with the top six cars split by less than one tenth of a second.
Norris set the quickest time of the session before Albon had his big crash at the fast Turns 6 and 7, rebounding off the wall which brought out a red flag with 20 minutes to go.
Several drivers made mistakes, particularly at the quick right-hander of Turn 10, with Alonso the first car to make a trip across the gravel as the Spaniard damaged the floor of his Aston Martin.
Hamilton and Verstappen also went wide at the same corner near the end of the session and both reported floor damage.
Verstappen's second-place time was set as the chequered flag fell and he was only 0.018s slower than Norris.
Russell was third ahead of Leclerc, while RB's Yuki Tsunoda was fifth ahead of Perez. The timesheet wasn't fully representative due to the surface improving rapidly throughout the session as drivers ran different programmes.
Red Bull have resumed the dominant form that saw them win 21 of 22 races last season, but Friday's action in Melbourne suggested Verstappen could face a significant challenge as he seeks to match the record 10-race winning streak he put together last year.
Ferrari have often been able to challenge Verstappen and Red Bull over one lap and there is little doubt that Leclerc is in the mix for pole, but the question remains as to whether the Italian team will have the race pace to push the Dutchman on Sunday.
"It feels good for now," Leclerc said. "We've had a positive day from the first laps in FP1 to the end of FP2, so that's a good start. However, we need to keep working very hard because I'm sure that we'll see some surprises tomorrow, and there's no reason for us to be in front tomorrow compared to everyone else as well.
"There's still margin to improve in some things. Our race run was pretty good, which is encouraging, but let's keep working.
"I would say that we are in a better position than the first two races, however, Red Bull weren't pushing yet so we've got to wait and see where their potential is at.
"I think they are still ahead but we might have our best shot this weekend from the beginning of the season."
Verstappen's plans for the day were interrupted by floor damage suffered when running wide in the first session, which would keep him in the garage for the first third of Practice Two.
Reflecting on his day, Verstappen said: "Unfortunately a little bit messy because of what happened in FP1. I went wide, damaged the floor and also the chassis. It took a little bit longer to fix that unfortunately so I lost about 20 minutes.
"I more or less completed the programme still. Long run, I would have liked maybe a few more laps but with missing 20 minutes, that's how it goes.
"I think Ferrari is quick but I think from our side, there are also a few more things that we can fine-tune. So nothing crazy, nothing worrying, I think we just need to fine-tune a little bit the car."
With Sainz having admitted on Thursday that he was unsure how his body would cope with the rigours of driving an F1 car just two weeks on from having his appendix removed, the Spaniard appeared confident he would be able to continue for the remainder of the weekend.
"I feel ok, obviously a bit tired after a full day of practice and not being 100 per cent physically," he said. "I felt like I had a good day. I managed to complete the whole programme and if you had told me a week ago that I could do the whole practice without issues, I would have been very happy.
"I need a good night's sleep and a good recovery for tomorrow, and yeah, I felt good."
Saturday March 23
Sunday March 24
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