Defending champion Lando Norris retired early in FP1 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix after McLaren suffered technical issues, while his teammate Oscar Piastri was able to continue the session. Here's what happened
F1 Australian GP: Lando Norris Suffers Shock Early Exit in FP1 After McLaren Face Serious Issue | AFP
The worst possible start for the defending champion Lando Norris came in his first official drive of the Formula 1 2026 season, as the McLaren ace retired from Australian Grand Prix Free Practice 1 after unexpected problems with the MCL40.
FP1 at Albert Park actually began with trouble for McLaren, as Oscar Piastri faced the first issue of the session. Just five minutes into the run, the Australian complained about a loss of power over the radio and managed to bring the car back to the pits.
Soon after, defending champion Lando Norris also began experiencing problems.
“Downshifts are shocking — all shifts. Something doesn’t feel right,” Norris reported on team radio.
Halfway through the session, Norris was sitting 15th on the timesheets with a lap of 1:24.391 before bringing the car back to the pits. With around 20 minutes remaining in FP1, McLaren eventually decided to retire the car, ending Norris’ session prematurely.
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His teammate Piastri continued the session after the team solved his problem in the car. He finished 6th fastest overall.
However, Norris was not the only driver to miss out on running time. Aston Martin faced an even bigger setback as Fernando Alonso was not allowed to start the session at all after the team suspected a power unit issue before the car even left the garage.
Meanwhile, Ferrari enjoyed a strong outing, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing the session first and second respectively. The two Ferraris looked comfortable throughout the session, with Hamilton eventually ending up just behind his teammate.
Max Verstappen finished third after spending much of the session going wheel-to-wheel with Leclerc in a tight battle for the top spot.
Mercedes, on the other hand, struggled to break into the top five despite running the soft tyres, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli mostly hovering around the lower end of the top ten.
| 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 | — | — |
The second Free Practise will start at 4:00 PM AEDT (10:30 AM IST). Live streaming of the Australian Grand Prix 2026 FP is available on FanCode app in India.
