Australian GP FP1: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 as Norris suffers issue

Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, topping the timesheets ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton. The session, the first official track action under F1's 2026 technical regulations, was marked by significant reliability issues for several teams, most notably McLaren where Lando Norris's running was cut dramatically short.

Why it matters:

This session offered the first real-world glimpse of the new 2026 cars in competitive conditions, highlighting both early performance trends and the teething problems teams are facing with the complex new power units and energy management systems. Ferrari's strong start will be encouraging, but the widespread technical gremlins underscore that development and reliability, not just raw pace, will define the early phase of this new era.

The details:

• Ferrari's Strong Start: Leclerc set a 1m20.829s on soft tyres to lead the session, with Sainz close behind in second, suggesting the Scuderia has found a solid baseline setup at Albert Park.
• Late Order Shuffle: The lead changed hands multiple times in the final minutes. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) both briefly went to the top before Leclerc's final push lap reclaimed P1.
• McLaren's Reliability Woe: The session was particularly frustrating for McLaren.
  • Lando Norris completed only seven laps before his team called him in to investigate erratic gearshifts, finishing 19th.
  • Oscar Piastri reported a power delivery issue, stating he had "no throttle" despite the engine running, though he still managed to set the sixth-fastest time.
• Aston Martin's Non-Session: The team had a disastrous outing. Fernando Alonso did not run a single lap after a suspected power-unit problem was identified pre-session. Lance Stroll managed only three slow installation laps.
• Other Incidents: The session was briefly interrupted by a Virtual Safety Car when Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad appeared to stall at the pit exit, another sign of teams grappling with the new machinery.

What's next:

Teams will now pour over the data from FP1, with a sharp focus on diagnosing and, where possible, resolving the reliability issues that hampered McLaren and Aston Martin. All eyes will be on FP2 to see if the performance order stabilizes and whether the affected teams can get their cars back on track for meaningful running. The early signs point to a competitive fight at the front, but the battle for reliability is already underway.