Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Charles Leclerc finished on top of the timesheets in the opening free practice session of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. The Ferrari driver set a fastest lap of 1:20.267, placing him around four-tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari emerged as the early benchmark during the first session of the season, with Hamilton securing second place after posting a lap time of 1:20.736. The closest challengers came from Red Bull Racing, where Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finished third and fourth respectively.
Several incidents also occurred during the session. Lando Norris ended his session early after his McLaren suffered a gearbox issue. Meanwhile, Arvid Lindblad and Alexander Albon both stopped on track during the session.
It was also a difficult session for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso did not run at all due to a suspected power unit issue, while Lance Stroll completed only three laps during the session.
Below are the full results from Free Practice 1 of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Charles LeclercFerrari | 1:20.267 Monaco | - |
2 |  | Lewis HamiltonFerrari | 1:20.736 United Kingdom | - |
3 |  | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 1:20.789 Netherlands | - |
4 |  | Isack HadjarRed Bull | 1:21.087 Prancis | - |
5 |  | Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | 1:21.313 Inggris | - |
6 |  | Oscar PiastriMcLaren | 1:21.342 Australia | - |
7 |  | George RussellMercedes | 1:21.371 United Kingdom | - |
8 |  | Kimi AntonelliMercedes | 1:21.376 Italy | - |
9 |  | Gabriel BortoletoAudi | 1:21.696 Brazil | - |
10 |  | Nico HulkenbergAudi | 1:21.969 Germany | - |
11 |  | Esteban OconHaas | 1:22.161 France | - |
12 |  | Carlos SainzWilliams | 1:22.323 Spain | - |
13 |  | Liam LawsonRacing Bulls | 1:22.613 New Zealand | - |
14 |  | Oliver BearmanHaas | 1:22.682 United Kingdom | - |
15 |  | Alexander AlbonWilliams | 1:23.130 Thailand | - |
16 |  | Franco ColapintoAlpine | 1:23.325 Argentina | - |
17 |  | Valtteri BottasCadillac | 1:24.022 Finlandia | - |
18 |  | Pierre GaslyAlpine | 1:24.035 France | - |
19 |  | Lando NorrisMcLaren | 1:24.391 United Kingdom | - |
20 |  | Sergio PerezCadillac | 1:24.620 Meksiko | - |
21 |  | Lance StrollAston Martin | 1:50.334 Canada | - |
22 |  | Fernando AlonsoAston Martin | - - Spain |
Read Also
Charles Leclerc tops FP1 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, leading a strong Ferrari performance ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Lando Norris ends FP1 early at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix after McLaren detects a suspected gearbox issue on the MCL40.
Fernando Alonso misses FP1 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix after Aston Martin detects a suspected power unit issue on the AMR26.
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