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Piastri beats Antonelli to top spot in Australia FP2
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Oscar Piastri impressed his home crowd as he led the two Mercedes drivers of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in just the second practice session of the season.
Oscar Piastri finished the first day of running in Australia at the top of the timesheets, beating the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in another eventful hour.
After FP1 saw some drivers face teething problems, a small group were ready to go at the pit lane exit for the day's second practice session, including reigning World Champion Lando Norris, who missed a sizable chunk of the opening session due to precautionary gearbox checks.
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After a long pre-season, Formula 1's finally had its first proper day of 2026 at the Australian Grand Prix – which has given some big pointers for the season opener.
Ferrari and McLaren topped the two sessions – so pre-season favourite Mercedes was never fastest on Friday…so we're in for a surprise, right?
For now, whatever the classification says, nobody doubts that Mercedes is the class of the field. That was revealed by George Russell's impressive long run pace.
While FP2 was patchy in terms of the long run data, it showed Mercedes having the clear advantage with Russell able to run at a pace the rest couldn't match.
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Australian GP: Oscar Piastri tops Practice One for McLaren as Mercedes and Ferrari also show strong pace in Melbourne
McLaren's Oscar Piastri tops second practice from Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and George Russell; Lewis Hamilton fourth as Ferrari show potential; watch Australian Grand Prix qualifying at 5am on Saturday and the first race of the season at 4am on Sunday live on Sky Sports F1
McLaren's Oscar Piastri set the fastest time of Friday's two practice sessions at Formula 1's season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes and Ferrari also exhibited strong pace in Melbourne.
Piastri, driving at his hometown circuit, finished second practice two tenths clear of Kimi Antonelli, with the Italian's Mercedes team-mate George Russell a tenth further back in third, but the Silver Arrows also caught the eye with their longer runs towards the end of the session.
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