Oscar Piastri set the pace in FP2 at the Australian Grand Prix, delighting home fans with a lap time two-tenths faster than Kimi Antonelli. The session was marked by early incidents involving George Russell, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto, but proved more productive than the earlier FP1 session for Aston Martin, with both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completing a significant number of laps.
The drama began early as Lindblad and Russell made contact in the pit lane, damaging Russell’s front wing. “This guy just hit my front wing,” Russell reported. Simultaneously, a sudden slowdown by Franco Colapinto, with his car in neutral, forced Lewis Hamilton to capture evasive action. “That was a car going crazy sluggish on the pit straight,” Hamilton said.
Both the Russell-Lindblad incident and the Colapinto situation are under investigation by the stewards following FP2. Adding to the early chaos, Max Verstappen experienced a stop in the Red Bull pit lane, while Sergio Perez’s Cadillac underwent repairs for a sensor issue, with the team aiming to get him back on track before the session ended.
Despite the early disruptions, Lewis Hamilton initially topped the timesheets with a 1:20.903, followed by Russell and Antonelli. Mercedes then switched to softer tires, allowing Russell to post a 1:20.049, which was then surpassed by Antonelli’s 1:19.943. Piastri secured the fastest time of the day with a 1:19.729, setting a new benchmark for the session.
The Ferraris finished fourth and fifth, with Hamilton just 0.001s behind Russell and Charles Leclerc a further 0.241s back. Red Bull finished 0.637s off the pace, with Max Verstappen recording a 1:20.366 before running wide at Turn 10, causing debris to scatter across the gravel trap. This was a challenging session for the four-time champion, who spent the first 25 minutes off track due to a technical problem.
Isack Hadjar, the new Red Bull driver, was six-tenths slower than Verstappen, with Lando Norris and Lindblad separating the two Red Bull drivers. Haas was the sixth-fastest team, with Esteban Ocon posting a 1:21.179, while Nico Hulkenberg secured a 1:21.351 for Audi. Williams and Alpine trailed behind, completing the running order.
The Australian Grand Prix weekend is heating up as teams prepare for qualifying, with Piastri’s strong performance providing a boost for McLaren and a promising sign for his championship aspirations. The incident-filled FP2 session highlighted the challenges of the Albert Park circuit and the competitive intensity of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
