McLaren’s Oscar Piastri topped second practice for the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix edging out Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
The home favorite clocked an impressive lap time of 1m19.729s midway through the hour-long session, putting him 0.214s clear of Antonelli as Russell completed a strong Mercedes one-two-three just 0.320s adrift.
This marked a significant boost for McLaren after a mixed FP1, signaling their competitiveness under the new 2026 F1 regulations that emphasize sustainable power units and active aerodynamics.
The session kicked off with immediate drama in the pit lane as George Russell clipped the rear of Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car while attempting to jump the queue, damaging his front wing endplate in the process and prompting a post-session stewards’ investigation.
Undeterred, the field quickly hit the track on hard compound tires under clear blue skies with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton immediately setting the early pace with a 1:20.637 lap, narrowly ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc and Piastri.
The seven-time world champion, however, nearly collided with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto who slowed dramatically on the start-finish straight with a suspected power unit glitch, forcing Hamilton to swerve in a heart-stopping near-miss that also drew stewards’ scrutiny.
Antonelli soon slotted into third with 1:20.801 showcasing Mercedes’ straight-line speed that had been hinted at in simulator data leading into the season opener.
Full 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix FP2 Results
Full 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix FP1 Results
As drivers transitioned to medium tires around the 15-minute mark, the pecking order began to solidify with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joining the fray but struggling with balance issues that would plague him later.
Piastri pitted for the red-walled softs and unleashed his McLaren MCL40 a blistering banker lap, improving the session’s benchmark by over half a second and undercutting Antonelli’s emerging threat.
Mercedes responded swiftly with Antonelli dipping into the 1:19s for the first time just before the halfway point, but Piastri’s lap held firm as the benchmark in second practice for Australian GP.
Russell, meanwhile, locked up into Turn 3 gravel after overzealous braking that echoed his pit-lane mishap, yet the British driver recovered to post the third-best time, relegating Lewis Hamilton who also suffered a similar off at the same turn.
FP1 pacesetter Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five for Ferrari, 0.562 seconds off Piastri’s benchmark, his consistent laps underscoring the reliability of their SF-26 after a solid morning run.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen endured a frustrating afternoon session in sixth after his run was disrupted by a pit-lane stall early on—mirroring a similar gremlin from FP1—and a high-speed snap at Turn 10 that sent him through the gravel and damaged his floor.
The Dutchman’s RB21 showed flashes of its trademark oversteer-curing setup, but balance woes hinted Red Bull would have to make a setup compromise before qualifying.
Piastri’s McLaren teammate and defending champion Lando Norris bounced back from a nightmare FP1 to claim the seventh fastest lap, over a second adrift but buoyed by the team’s overall package strength evidenced by Piastri’s flyer.
Norris focused heavily on race trim, completing 28 laps with minimal wear, his radio messages praising the MCL40’s traction out of the low-speed chicanes that litter Albert Park.
Aston Martin struggles lingered on during second practice for Australian GP with both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll only managing only 31 combined laps, each unable to string together more than eight without pitting for checks.
Alonso eked out 18 laps for 20th place after his AMR26 limped around with chronic power deficits and brake overheating alarms blaring over radio.
Stroll plummeted to dead last with 13 laps after his car came to an early stop with a suspected cooling failure that team principal Adrian Newey publicly lamented as “a step backward” in pre-event briefings.
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez shockingly posted no timed lap at all, his session aborted after a pit lane spin on cold tires, stranding the Mexican veteran at the bottom.
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