Leclerc tops first 2026 practice as McLaren and Aston Martin hit trouble

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc headed team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to lead the first practice session of Formula 1’s new era that starts at the Australian Grand Prix.

Leclerc’s last-minute effort of 1m20.267s demoted team-mate Hamilton after a relatively uneventful first practice session of F1’s new regulations era.

Most teams wasted little time getting up to speed in Melbourne as they were keen to maximise what little track time they have to optimise 2026’s complicated machinery for Albert Park’s severe energy demands.

Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was the first man out, though it was four-time world champion Verstappen who set a first lap time with some semblance of urgency – with laps initially around five seconds slower than last year.

Verstappen’s new team-mate Isack Hadjar soon cycled through to the lead, as did Ferrari’s Leclerc and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

There had been an early virtual safety car for Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, who appeared to stall at pit exit, but there was more significant trouble for McLaren. Oscar Piastri reported “something was not right” was McLaren’s power delivery, reporting he was, saying he was “idling, but I’ve got no throttle.”

Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris also hit teething issues with dodgy gearshifts, with the team eventually curtailing his session after just seven laps to look into the gearbox. It would leave the reigning world champion down in 19th.

That was nothing compared to Aston Martin’s woes, as Fernando Alonso did not make it out on track after Honda encountered engine trouble. “We found a suspected power unit-related issue which will prevent car #14 from participating in FP1,” Honda said.

Team-mate Lance Stroll completed only three slow install laps to kick off what is set to be a brutal first weekend for the Aston Martin-Honda collaboration.

At the other end of the timetable Leclerc took over command with a 1m20.829s on softs, before being demoted by Verstappen’s 1.20.789s and then Hamilton. But right at the end of the session, Leclerc set a 1m20.267s to take over command after what was an encouraging start for Ferrari.

Hadjar was fourth behind Hamilton and Verstappen, ahead of a surprising Racing Bulls rookie Lindblad and Piastri.

Mercedes duo George Russell and Antonelli took seventh and eighth respectively, with Audi drivers Bortoleto and Hulkenberg rounding out the top 10.

Williams’s team-mate Alex Albon caused a late virtual safety car after grounding to a halt through Lakeside Drive with a suspected hydraulic leak. There were otherwise no major incidents, although Cadillac’s Sergio Perez suffered a scare when excessive engine braking sent him into a tailspin in Turn 4.

Perez and team-mate Valtteri Bottas made a respectable grand prix weekend debut for Cadillac, with F1’s 11th outfit just under four seconds off the frontrunners.

F1 Australian GP – FP1 results

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