Ferrari leads disrupted first practice of 2026 season in Melbourne

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished first and second in a disrupted opening practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, as reigning champions McLaren and other teams battled significant technical gremlins in the first official running of the 2026 cars. The session was characterized by limited running for several drivers, with home hero Oscar Piastri stopping early and teammate Lando Norris completing just seven laps.

Why it matters:

The first practice session under new regulations is a critical initial stress test for teams, revealing early reliability trends and performance pecking order clues. McLaren's immediate struggles, contrasted with Ferrari's apparent strength, could signal a shift in the competitive hierarchy as the new era begins. For fans and teams, it's the first real glimpse of which development paths are paying off.

The details:

• Ferrari's Strong Start: Building on positive pre-season form, Charles Leclerc set the benchmark time of 1:20.267, leading much of the session. Teammate Lewis Hamilton was second, four-tenths back, suggesting the Scuderia has carried its testing momentum into the race weekend.
• McLaren's Troubles: The defending constructors' champions had a nightmare session. Oscar Piastri's running lasted only three minutes before a power issue forced him to stop on track. After repairs, he returned to finish sixth. Lando Norris reported his car "didn't feel right" and spent most of the hour in the garage for "precautionary gearbox checks," ending up 18th with only seven laps completed.
• Widespread Technical Issues: Several other teams faced problems. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso did not run at all due to a suspected power unit issue. Teammate Lance Stroll completed only three installation laps, finishing a massive 29 seconds off the pace. Williams' Alex Albon also stopped on track late in the session with a hydraulic failure.
• Promising Debuts: Red Bull's new signing Isack Hadjar led portions of the session and finished fourth. Rookie Arvid Lindblad recovered from stalling his Racing Bulls car at the pit exit to complete his first official F1 practice in an impressive fifth place.
• Clean Running Overall: Despite the issues, the session was largely incident-free as drivers learned the new cars. Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Carlos Sainz (Williams), and Sergio Perez (Cadillac) had minor off-track moments without causing major disruptions.

What's next:

Teams will now scramble to analyse data and rectify the myriad of issues uncovered in FP1 before the second practice session. For McLaren and Aston Martin, the focus will be on understanding and fixing their reliability problems overnight to ensure a competitive Saturday. Ferrari will look to confirm its strong single-lap pace with consistent long runs, while all eyes will be on whether the pecking order begins to solidify or if FP1 was merely an anomaly of early-season gremlins.