P1racenews AI automatic summary:
2024 F1 Australian GP results: Leclerc fastest in practice
Lando Norris set the pace in the first practice session, clocking a fastest lap time of 1m18.564s, with Leclerc topping FP2 with a quicker time of 1m17.277s. Norris led for McLaren in the first session, narrowly ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull by just 0.018 seconds, with George Russell in third for Mercedes, and Leclerc in fourth for Ferrari. Yuki Tsunoda secured fifth for Red Bull in the highly competitive session with the top eight separated by just over a tenth of a second. FP1 was interrupted by a red flag when Alex Albon crashed his Williams at Turn 7, finishing 12th based on his previous lap time. In FP2, with more rubber on the track, Leclerc was able to surpass Norris’ FP1 benchmark by over a second, leading the afternoon session with a time of 1m17.277s. Ferrari had a strong showing with Sainz in third, Stroll and Alonso fourth and fifth for Aston Martin, and Russell claiming sixth as the fastest Mercedes driver. Albon was unable to participate in FP2 due to the substantial damage to his Williams from the earlier crash.
