The ice is broken: with Charles Leclerc at the top of the timesheet for the first free practice, the 2026 Formula 1 season officially began on Friday. Although the opening skirmishes say little about the balance of power yet, a few things stood out, such as a good session for Max Verstappen (third).
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It is midday in Australia and the middle of the night in the Netherlands when Nico Hülkenberg is the first to send his F1 car onto the track at Albert Park, Melbourne. While his team Audi, as a new brand, has a fine first session, it is quite different for veteran Aston Martin. The team, plagued by vibration problems, sends Lance Stroll out briefly, but he returns quickly. Fernando Alonso even skips the entire session.
There are also initial problems for rookie Arvid Lindblad, but he is able to take to the track later. The same applies to local favorite Oscar Piastri. It is striking that McLaren is having some difficulty keeping up in the opening session of the year.
Max Verstappen
Things are going better for Max Verstappen, a small ‘lock up’ notwithstanding. The four-time world champion is right there from the first meters, as is teammate Isack Hadjar. Red Bull Racing seems to have things well in order. The same applies to Ferrari, while Mercedes follows. However, it is not inconceivable that Toto Wolff’s team is still keeping its cards close to its chest on Friday.
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At one point, Verstappen is the fastest in the field, but Lewis Hamilton improves his time in the final part of the practice. During that time, Alex Albon grinds to a halt; the Williams stops due to an electrical problem, causing a virtual safety car. Sergio Pérez also has a moment in the MAC26 (Mario Andretti Cadillac), but he can continue. Cadillac is not fast, but that was not expected either. For the brand-new team, the main priority is to collect as much data as possible in the opening race(s).
In the final minutes, Lindblad stands out with a fifth-fastest time, Piastri with a fast first sector, and Leclerc by setting the fastest time of all: the Monegasque is no less than half a second faster than the rest. The question remains – both at the front and the back of the grid – whether many teams have already gone to the limit in the first free practice of the year. In any case, the first meters have been driven, the ice is broken.
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Results
- PosDriverTeamNationalityTime
- Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:20.267 - Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
+ 0.469 - Max Verstappen
Red Bull
+ 0.522 - Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
+ 0.820 - Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
+ 1.046 - Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+ 1.075 - George Russell
Mercedes
+ 1.104 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
+ 1.109 - Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
