2023 Australian Grand Prix - FP1 & FP2

The F1 paddock heads to Australia this weekend for the 3rd race of the 2023 season. Join Supercars.GH as we take a look at the action which unfolded at the Albert Park circuit this Friday during the first two practice sessions.

Free Practice 1

To say that FP1 at Melbourne was incident filled would be an understatement. Several drivers either went off the road or spun their cars a full 360 degrees. Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri suffered the biggest spin of the session, taking a trip through the gravel trap.

Another driver who was a victim of the tough street circuit was Max Verstappen. The reigning world champion suffered from a whole host of issues during FP1. But, that didn’t stop the Dutchman from recording the fastest time of the session.

Traffic was a major issue during FP1, and it was caused by a malfunction in the FIA’s GPS system. This prevented the teams from locating the drivers, thus causing chaos on the circuit. This trouble-filled session finally came to an end when Logan Sargent’s Williams ground to a halt due to mechanical failure.

Max Verstappen 1:18.790
Lewis Hamilton 1:19.223
Sergio Perez 1:19.293

Free Practice 2

The second practice session saw the first rain showers of the season, causing trouble to most drivers. Fernando Alonso’s form continued, as he secured the fastest lap time of FP2. His teammate, Canadian Lanse Stroll went for a little ride off-road adventure. However, he managed to keep his AMR23 from kissing the walls.

The Albert Park circuit saw a major change, as the grid boxes have been widened by 20 cm in light of recent events. Another hot topic going into this weekend was that both Haas and Alfa Romeo would be swapping out their power units in place of new ones.

Ferrari has had a quiet season so far, but things looked promising this weekend. Charles Leclerc managed to secure the second-fastest lap of the evening, with Carlos Sainz coming in at P5. The Scuderia would be looking for a good result this weekend if they are to have any chance of tasting championship glory.

Fernando Alonso 1:18.887
Charles Leclerc 1:19.332
Max Verstappen 1:19.502

If these two sessions are anything to go by, we are in for an action-packed Grand Prix this Sunday. Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of FP3 and qualifying sessions, and don’t forget to check out our previous Formula 1 content.