Leclerc Leads McLaren Rivals in Thrilling FP2 at Australian Grand Prix

Leclerc Shines as McLaren Duo Keeps Pressure On

Friday’s second practice session at the Australian Grand Prix saw Charles Leclerc dial in the lap of the afternoon, clocking a rapid 1m16.439s to put his Ferrari on top. After a seemingly straightforward opening session, Leclerc pushed ahead despite a competitive field nipping at his heels. He was, however, almost immediately followed by McLaren’s home hero Oscar Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris—turning the top three into an intriguing Ferrari-McLaren slugfest as track conditions warmed up in Melbourne.

Piastri looked comfortable as he sliced half a tenth off his own previous best to wedge ahead of Norris, reversing the order seen in FP1 when Norris briefly sat at the head of the timesheets. The McLaren pair’s consistency suggests their qualifying prospects look better than ever, especially after last-minute setup changes gave them an extra kick when it counted most.

Behind them, Ferrari’s new recruit Lewis Hamilton managed to muscle his way to fifth, but the Brit wasn’t happy. Throughout the session, Hamilton complained over team radio about understeer and a car that never really felt glued to the tarmac. Despite the setup woes, he squeezed a competitive lap out, though he was split from his teammate by Red Bull’s feisty Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda deserves credit for keeping his cool in fourth, on a day when Red Bull’s flagship star couldn’t find much luck.

Setbacks, Near-Misses, and Surprises Down the Grid

Max Verstappen, often the measuring stick for the grid, found himself marooned in seventh. He scrapped his first flying lap when traffic bottled him up during the soft tire runs, and even on later attempts, he never quite looked at home on the tricky Melbourne circuit. Verstappen’s body language and radio messages hinted at headaches for his engineering crew going into Saturday.

A quiet success story unfolded for Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, who slotted into eighth despite a heart-in-mouth slide at Turn 6. He kept it out of the barriers and maximized the window when the track was at its absolute quickest. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll quietly gathered up ninth, keeping the team’s hopes of a solid points weekend alive, and Mercedes’ George Russell grabbed tenth after mixing long runs with flying laps.

Ollie Bearman’s weekend has been a rollercoaster so far. After crashing heavily in FP1, the young Brit was forced to watch from the garage as Haas mechanics swarmed over his battered car for the rest of the afternoon, ruling him out of a second run in FP2. Without those crucial laps, Bearman’s mountain to climb on Saturday just got steeper.

Early in the session, Norris nearly found himself in real trouble during a pit-lane exit drill. As Liam Lawson pulled out during a practice start, Norris had to swerve onto the grass to dodge him—braking hard and showing sharp reflexes to avoid what could’ve been an expensive coming-together. The clash set the tone for an edge-of-the-seat practice where drivers cut it fine at every opportunity.

With the top three separated by less than two tenths and veterans like Hamilton and Verstappen desperate for answers, Friday’s action has stirred up the pot going into qualifying. Pressure is mounting for teams to deliver the perfect lap, and with so many names bunched at the sharp end, Saturday in Melbourne promises to be wild.