Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two in opening Melbourne practice
Ferrari established the strongest early pace of the 2026 season as Charles Leclerc topped the first practice session in Melbourne with a fastest lap of 1:20.267, set during the closing minutes on soft tyres.
The Monegasque driver's time placed him comfortably ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second with a lap 0.469 seconds slower, while Max Verstappen secured third place, 0.522 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark.
During the opening phase of the session, most drivers ran on medium tyres. Max Verstappen was the first to set a representative pace by dipping into the 1:22.0 range. Charles Leclerc quickly responded by lowering the fastest time to 1:22.080, and he later improved to 1:21.227 as the track continued to evolve.
Isack Hadjar briefly moved to the top of the timesheets with a lap in the 1:21s, marking a strong start to his first full season with Red Bull, although Leclerc soon reclaimed the lead.
As the session progressed, Leclerc’s 1:21.227 remained the reference time on medium tyres. Verstappen stayed within two tenths of that lap, while Hamilton and Oscar Piastri circulated in the low 1:22s after resolving their early issues.
George Russell was the first driver to switch to soft tyres, and although his lap elevated him to fifth place at the time, he remained in the 1:21–1:22 window.
The most significant improvements came in the final 15 minutes, when several drivers completed their first meaningful soft‑tyre runs. Verstappen briefly returned to the top with a 1:20.789, becoming the first driver to make a major step forward on the C5 compound.
Hamilton then edged ahead with a lap just under 1:20.8, but Leclerc ultimately delivered the fastest time of the session with his 1:20.267, securing a clear advantage over both rivals.
Behind the top three, Hadjar completed an impressive session in fourth place, finishing 0.820 seconds off Leclerc’s time. Fellow rookie Arvid Lindblad followed in fifth, 1.046 seconds adrift, after recovering from an early stoppage.
Oscar Piastri took sixth place, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli placed seventh and eighth respectively for Mercedes. Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten for Audi, both producing consistent laps without matching the leading pace.
Outside the top ten, Esteban Ocon finished 11th for Haas, followed by Carlos Sainz in 12th for Williams. Liam Lawson placed 13th for Racing Bulls, while Ollie Bearman secured 14th in the second Haas.
Alex Albon ended the session in 15th after stopping on track and triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Franco Colapinto took 16th for Alpine, with Valtteri Bottas in 17th for Cadillac and Pierre Gasly in 18th in the second Alpine.
Lando Norris completed limited running due to precautionary gearbox checks and finished 19th. Sergio Pérez classified 20th after reporting engine‑braking issues, and Lance Stroll ended the session in 21st as Aston Martin continued to investigate a suspected power‑unit problem.
