Charles Leclerc was the standout in the second free practice session of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, which saw several drivers facing difficulties off track. Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, was impressive, being 0.381 seconds faster than championship leader Max Verstappen in terms of single lap pace. The top 10 was closely contested, with less than half a second separating Leclerc from the cars behind him.
Leclerc’s best time, 1m17.211s, was achieved with a strong performance in the final sector. His previous benchmark time, 1m17.423s, which would still be enough for first place, included the fastest times in the other two sectors. Verstappen, who missed the first 20 minutes of the session due to a floor change on his RB20 after going off track at turns 9/10, set his best time later in the session.
One of the most promising aspects for Leclerc and Ferrari was their performance on medium tires during long run simulations. The first five laps on medium tires showed consistent pace from Leclerc, with times ranging from 1m22.832s to 1m23.047s. Other drivers also showcased their performance on medium tires, including Sainz, Piastri, Verstappen, Perez, Russell, and Stroll.
Despite Verstappen’s late start and limited long run simulations, Leclerc’s advantage in single lap pace seemed to hold up when race fuel was added towards the end of the session. Leclerc had a clear edge over his teammate Sainz, who returned to the Ferrari cockpit after missing the Saudi Arabian GP due to appendicitis. Sainz was only half a tenth slower than Verstappen’s time.
According to FP2 order, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martins secured fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Stroll had some incidents at the penultimate low-speed corner, while Alonso had a moment at the exit of turn 6. George Russell had a good performance for Mercedes, finishing in sixth place, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled and ended up in 18th place, 1.5 seconds off the pace. Hamilton’s session was also hindered by a moment at turn 10 due to a setup change that did not work as intended.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’s McLarens, along with Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, completed the top eight. Yuki Tsunoda closed the top 10 for RB. Williams had only 19 cars in operation as they were busy repairing Alex Albon’s car after his accident in the first practice. They did not have a spare chassis available in Melbourne.
