The second practice session of the Australian GP delivered plenty of drama as Oscar Piastri topped FP2 in front of his home crowd at Albert Park. The McLaren driver set the fastest lap of the day with a 1:19.729, finishing just over two tenths ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, with George Russell completing the top three.
After Ferrari had dominated FP1 earlier in the day, the second session shifted the competitive picture. McLaren suddenly emerged as a serious contender, while Mercedes also showed stronger pace during the evening running in Melbourne.
But the session was far from straightforward. Incidents, reliability problems and several off-track moments kept teams busy throughout the hour as they continued adapting to the new 2026 regulations.
Mercedes show pace but McLaren strike late
Mercedes initially looked like the team to beat during FP2 at the Australian GP. Russell and Antonelli set the early benchmark times on soft tyres, briefly occupying the top positions as the session reached its halfway point.
Antonelli’s lap put him just ahead of Russell and highlighted the impressive progress the young Italian continues to make. After a rookie campaign filled with learning experiences last year, he now looks far more comfortable operating at the front of the field.
Yet the session ultimately belonged to Piastri.
Late in the hour, the Australian produced a clean lap on soft tyres to move to the top of the timesheets. His 1:19.729 effort held firm until the chequered flag and allowed McLaren to end Friday as the fastest team of the day.
For the Melbourne crowd, it was the perfect moment. Piastri’s performance immediately raised hopes that the home driver could challenge for a front-row start in qualifying.
Ferrari remain firmly in the fight
Although Ferrari did not repeat their FP1 dominance during FP2, both drivers remained competitive throughout the Australian GP session.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, only a thousandth of a second behind Russell, while Charles Leclerc completed the top five. The small margins between the leading teams underline how close the battle could be this weekend.
Ferrari appeared focused on longer runs during the latter part of the session, gathering valuable race-pace data. Given their strong start earlier in the day, the Scuderia remain firmly in contention heading into Saturday.
The early picture from Friday suggests that Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren are likely to fight for pole position.
Incidents and mistakes underline the challenge of the new cars
The second practice session of the Australian GP also highlighted how difficult the new 2026 cars can be to handle.
Several drivers struggled with lock-ups under braking as reduced downforce makes the cars more difficult to control into corners. George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Isack Hadjar all experienced moments during the session.
Max Verstappen had the biggest scare of the evening. A sudden snap of oversteer sent the Red Bull driver across the gravel, damaging the floor of his car. The Dutchman was able to return to the pits, but the incident limited his running.
Earlier in the session Verstappen had also stopped at the end of the pit lane with a suspected power unit issue before mechanics pushed the car back to the garage.
These moments suggest that the new regulation package could make races far less predictable this season.
Reliability continues to affect several teams
Reliability concerns once again played a role during FP2 at the Australian GP.
Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez finally joined the session after a delayed start caused by a sensor problem, but his running ended prematurely when he stopped on track with a suspected hydraulics issue. The incident triggered a Virtual Safety Car as marshals recovered the car.
Williams also endured a difficult session. Carlos Sainz completed just 10 laps before a mechanical problem forced him to retire early, preventing the Spaniard from attempting a representative qualifying simulation.
Meanwhile Aston Martin managed to get both cars on track after their earlier problems. Lance Stroll completed 13 laps while Fernando Alonso logged 18, giving the team valuable data after their troubled FP1.
With so many new components and systems introduced for 2026, reliability will remain a major factor throughout the Australian GP weekend.
A tightly balanced fight ahead of qualifying
Friday’s running at the Australian GP leaves the competitive picture wide open.
Ferrari set the early pace in FP1, Mercedes looked strong during the first half of FP2, and McLaren ultimately ended the day on top thanks to Piastri’s impressive lap. Red Bull also remain close enough to challenge despite Verstappen’s off-track moment.
The margins between the leading teams are extremely small, suggesting that qualifying could be one of the closest sessions in recent years.
One thing is clear after Friday: the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season is shaping up to be unpredictable, competitive and full of surprises.
All eyes now turn to FP3, where teams will have one final opportunity to refine their setups before the first qualifying session of the year begins.
