LECLERC LEADS FIRST PRACTICE OF THE 2026 F1 SEASON - Motorsportsclicks

The 2026 Formula 1 season has officially begun at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, and at the end of FP1, it was Charles Leclerc who set the fastest time, leading a strong start for Ferrari in the opening session of this new era of Formula 1.

Leclerc finished at the top of the timesheets ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, giving Ferrari a one-two result in the first practice.

Behind the two Ferraris were the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, suggesting that Ferrari and Red Bull may already be the main contenders at the start of the season.

Mercedes, however, did not show much pace in this first session. It is still too early to judge their true performance, and the rest of the weekend will reveal whether the team is simply hiding its pace or struggling to match its rivals.

The action on track

Almost immediately, some drivers began to experience technical problems. Oscar Piastri reported a loss of power shortly after leaving the pit lane and had to return to the garage after only a couple of laps. Around the same time, Arvid Lindblad stopped his Racing Bulls car just a few meters after exiting the pit lane.

It was an even worse start for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso did not take part in FP1 at all because of reliability concerns already reported by the team. Later in the session, Lance Stroll also had to retire after completing only two laps, meaning Aston Martin collected almost no useful running during the first practice.

On track, most drivers began their programs using the medium tires, to test race pace simulation. One of the key goals of FP1 was helping drivers adapt to the new way of managing energy during a lap under the 2026 power unit rules, which place a much larger focus on electrical power.

Ferrari quickly started working on qualifying simulations. Leclerc focused on fast laps early in the session and moved to the top of the timesheets. Red Bull followed a similar plan, with Verstappen and Hadjar showing lap times close to the Ferrari drivers.

About halfway through the session, George Russell was the first driver to switch to the soft tires, followed by his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, as well as the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers.

McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris (L) as mechanics work on his car during the first practice session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on March 6, 2026. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP via Getty Images) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE —

At that point, Lando Norris remained in the garage with a gearbox problem on his McLaren. The team confirmed he would return to action later in the weekend, as they will take precautionary actions to look carefully at the gearbox.

The qualifying simulations with the soft tires confirmed the strong pace from Ferrari and Red Bull. For much of the session, Leclerc and Verstappen exchanged the fastest lap as both drivers gradually improved their times. Hamilton also joined the fight at the front by briefly setting the fastest lap.

Later in the session, a Virtual Safety Car was triggered after Alex Albon stopped his Williams in turn 10 due to a hydraulic problem.

In the final moments of FP1, Leclerc improved once again and secured the fastest time of the session with a lap of 1:20.267. He finished about four and a half tenths ahead of Hamilton and just over half a second ahead of Verstappen.

Hadjar ended the session not far behind his teammate, only three tenths slower than the leading Red Bull. Lindblad recovered well from his early issue and finished fifth, completing a solid session for Racing Bulls.

Further down the order, questions remain about the performance of the Mercedes-powered teams. Piastri finished seventh, more than one second behind the leader, followed by Russell and Antonelli.