The 2026 Formula 1 season officially began with an eventful opening day of practice at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc set the early benchmark in the first session before hometown driver Oscar Piastri thrilled local fans by topping the timesheets in FP2.
With a sweeping technical regulations reset introducing a new generation of cars, teams arrived at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit eager to evaluate performance during the first competitive laps of the year.
Leclerc Leads the Way in Opening Practice
The first practice session began at 12:30 p.m. local time, marking the first on-track outing for the new 2026 machinery. The Audi entry of Nico Hulkenberg was first to leave the pit lane as drivers quickly headed out to gather early data.
The session also marked the debut practice appearance for the new Cadillac Formula 1 team in its inaugural season.
Early drama unfolded almost immediately. Local favorite Piastri reported a loss of power in his McLaren F1 Team, briefly bringing out a yellow flag before the issue resolved and he returned to the circuit.
Moments later, a Virtual Safety Car was triggered when Arvid Lindblad stopped his Racing Bulls car at the pit lane exit. His car was recovered and the rookie returned to the garage.
Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso was unable to participate in FP1 after Aston Martin F1 Team detected a suspected power unit issue on his AMR26, leaving teammate Lance Stroll as the team’s sole representative on track during the session.
Once the first competitive laps were recorded, Max Verstappen initially set the pace before Leclerc moved ahead with a lap of 1:22.080.
The times continued to drop as drivers pushed harder. Rookie Isack Hadjar briefly jumped to the top of the order during his first practice session as a full-time Red Bull Racing driver before Leclerc reclaimed the lead.
The Ferrari driver ultimately delivered the fastest lap of the session, a 1:20.267, finishing ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton by nearly half a second.
Verstappen finished third ahead of Hadjar, while Lindblad impressed by climbing to fifth despite his earlier issue.
The remainder of the top ten featured Piastri, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Hulkenberg, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Further down the order, problems affected several drivers. World champion Lando Norris ended the session near the bottom after precautionary gearbox checks limited his running, while Sergio Perez spun late in the session after reporting engine-braking issues.
Piastri Delivers in Front of Home Crowd in FP2
The second practice session delivered even more drama.
Drivers eager to make up for lost track time were waiting at the pit lane exit when the session began, including Norris after his abbreviated FP1.
Early incidents were immediately noted by stewards. Russell clipped Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car during a pit lane incident, while Franco Colapinto slowed suddenly on track, forcing Hamilton to take evasive action.
More trouble struck Max Verstappen, who stalled his Red Bull in the pit lane and had to be pushed back to the garage before setting a timed lap.
Teams experimented with different tire strategies during FP2, with several drivers running hard compounds to collect data for Sunday’s 58-lap race.
Russell quickly improved the benchmark on soft tires before Mercedes teammate Antonelli became the first driver to break into the 1:19 range, highlighting a strong showing from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
However, the final word belonged to Piastri.
The Australian delighted fans by setting the fastest lap of the session at 1:19.729, finishing two-tenths clear of Antonelli.
Russell ended the session third, with Hamilton just one thousandth of a second behind his former teammate in fourth.
Leclerc completed the top five ahead of Verstappen, while Norris finished seventh after recovering from his earlier issues.
Lindblad continued his impressive debut weekend by placing eighth, followed by Hadjar and Esteban Ocon.
A Busy Opening Day in Melbourne
While the top teams of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren dominated the upper half of the timing sheets, the opening day of practice revealed plenty of reliability concerns across the field.
A late Virtual Safety Car was triggered in FP2 after Perez stopped on track with a suspected hydraulic issue, while both Stroll and Carlos Sainz ended their sessions early due to technical problems.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso managed only a slow installation lap in FP2 after missing the first session earlier in the day.
Despite the disruptions, teams gathered valuable data from the opening running of the season as they prepare for qualifying and Sunday’s race at Albert Park.
With the new regulations already producing close competition and unpredictable moments, the 2026 Formula 1 season appears set for an exciting start.
