Is it a hit or a flop? Everything seemed set to be revealed in Free Practice 1 of the 2026 F1 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix. After an hour of running at Albert Park, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Ferrari and Red Bull may have built beasts under the new Formula 1 regulations, as Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen dominated the session on Friday. If there was a team struggling, however, it appeared to be McLaren.
As expected, FP1 in Melbourne began with chaos, as several cars started facing technical issues within seconds of revving their engines.
McLaren Face Early Issues
The most concerning moment came for home hero Oscar Piastri. The Australian was the first driver to report a problem, complaining about a sudden loss of power.
"I've got no power… I'm idling, but I've got no throttle," he said over the team radio. His MCL40 came to a halt on track, although Piastri eventually managed to limp the car back to the pits. However, he was later returned to the track.
Shortly after, his teammate Lando Norris also reported issues. Norris managed to return his MCL40 to the pits but complained about problems with the downshifts and gear changes. "Something doesn’t feel right," he said on the radio. He had to end his session pre-maturely with nearly 20 mins of session remaining.
While McLaren struggled, Max Verstappen appeared to be enjoying his time on track in Red Bull’s new machine, which is making its debut with the in-house RBPT-Ford powertrain.
The Dutchman initially set the pace on medium tyres, though Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc soon challenged him and briefly moved to the top of the timesheets.
FP1 is complete ✅
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 6, 2026
Charles Leclerc tops the timesheets to round out a Ferrari 1-2 in Albert Park 👀#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/HWw3rjPWvn
New Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar also impressed early on, setting one of the fastest laps after Leclerc and showing promising pace in his first outing.
Mercedes, meanwhile, looked decent on the soft tyres, but George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli spent much of the session circulating around fifth and sixth place.
Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton Top Timesheets
Verstappen later bolted on the soft tyres and reclaimed the top spot with a lap of 1:20.908, three-tenths clear of Leclerc. However, the Ferrari driver responded quickly, jumping back to P1 with a 1:20.829, just 0.079 seconds ahead of the Dutchman.
Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, was running in fourth at that stage, roughly half a second behind the Monegasque.
The Australian Grand Pric Free Practise 1 session soon turned into a fascinating duel between Verstappen and Leclerc. Verstappen briefly set a new benchmark with a 1:20.789, just 0.040 seconds quicker than Leclerc. Moments later, Hamilton stunned the field by going fastest with a 1:20.736.
Williams, however, faced trouble of its own, as Alex Albon was forced to park his car on track, bringing out yellow flags. On the other hand, Aston Martin faced early issue even before the start preventing Fernando Alnoso from taking part in the session.
In the end, it was Charles Leclerc who finished the session on top of the timesheets with a blistering 1:20.267, the Ferrari driver lowering Hamilton’s benchmark by nearly half a second to close out an eventful FP1 in Melbourne.
Australian Grand Prix FP1 Result:
| Pos | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:20.267 | — |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:20.736 | +0.469 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 1:20.789 | +0.522 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | 1:21.087 | +0.820 |
| 5 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:21.313 | +1.046 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | 1:21.342 | +1.075 |
| 7 | George Russell | 1:21.371 | +1.104 |
| 8 | Kimi Antonelli | 1:21.376 | +1.109 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:21.696 | +1.429 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | 1:21.969 | +1.702 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | 1:22.248 | +1.981 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | 1:22.323 | +2.056 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | 1:22.613 | +2.346 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:22.682 | +2.415 |
| 15 | Alex Albon | 1:23.130 | +2.863 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:23.325 | +3.058 |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:24.022 | +3.755 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | 1:24.035 | +3.768 |
| 19 | Lando Norris | 1:24.391 | +4.124 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | 1:24.620 | +4.353 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:50.334 | +30.067 |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | — | — |
Also Read: Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2026: Live Streaming, Full Schedule, And All You Need To Know