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Liam Lawson faces a tough challenge in his first race for Red Bull, too. He was well off Verstappen’s pace yesterday and did effectively no running in first practice due to a power unit problem on his car. That will also have compromised Red Bull’s attempts to compare two different front wings: Lawson has been running the original specification, Verstappen an updated version.

However first of all we need to see who will get beyond Q1. Haas face an uphill struggle, especially Oliver Bearman who’s had one crash and one spin in two days, covering just a dozen laps. Sauber also haven’t been quick, though Nico Hulkenberg pulled out a quick time in second practice yesterday, so he could spring a surprise.

Mercedes could have a say in this as well. George Russell was right up there in final practice, less than four-hundredths of a second off Piastri, and he had pole position for two of the last three grands prix last season.

Ferrari looked like strong candidates yesterday when Charles Leclerc set the fastest time. He was less happy with his car in final practice, however, and it remains to be seen whether Ferrari will get it back in the shape he wants. Lewis Hamilton has been behind his new team mate so far this weekend, but has gradually edged closer, and the gap between them was less than two-tenths of a second in final practice.

McLaren took pole for the last grand prix in Abu Dhabi and appear to have picked up where they left off. Oscar Piastri was fastest in practice this morning and is vying to become the first Australian ever to start their home race from pole position. His team mate Lando Norris is not to be discounted, of course. He may only have been 10th fastest in final practice, but conspicuously backed out of what looked like being quick laps.

However Red Bull haven’t had pole position for a grand prix since June last year – the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen would have had pole in Qatar, of course, but for that hotly debated one-place grid penalty.

So who’s the favourite for the first pole position of 2025? Max Verstappen has set pole at this race for the last two years in a row and was within a tenth of a second of the fastest time in final practice.

Qualifying for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is coming up next.

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There’s only four minutes left but Bearman is finally putting his helmet on.

Leclerc running a slightly faster pace on the mediums at the moment than Norris. Verstappen a few tenths off the pair of them on the same rubber.

Verstappen completes his lap and sets a 1’17.063 for seventh. He was well into that run on softs, though.

Finally a lap coming from Verstappen? He does a personal best first sector time, as does Alexander Albon.

Piastri goes quickest in the final sector as he sets the second-fastest time, still a tenth off Leclerc.

Leclerc displaced Norris at the top of the times with a 1’16.439, over a tenth of a second quicker than the McLaren. Verstappen still hasn’t got anything like a representative time in, encountering traffic and backing out.

Fernando Alonso takes to the grass at turn one. An unimpressed Gasly picks his way through traffic at turn four.

Isack Hadjar produces a decent lap for fifth – Williams caught the eye in the first session, Racing Bulls have in the second.

There is once again a significant amount of gravel just off-line at the exit of turn six. Unlike in the first session, no red flag yet.

Verstappen starts a lap but backs out of it after a twitch of oversteer at turn three. Norris goes top with a 1’16.580, two-tenths up on Tsunoda.

Yuki Tsunoda now takes the top time with a 1’16.784 in his Racing Bulls.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli goes 10th on softs, three-tenths of a second off his team mate.

Liam Lawson only 14th with that run on a set of softs – and he was outside of track limits at turn four.

The Sauber mechanics are busy working on Hulkenberg’s floor after his trip through the gravel. We’re 20 minutes into the session and Bearman has still not joined the track.

Leclerc does the fastest first sector and gets a cleaner end to the lap, lopping half a second off Sainz’s best time with a 1’16.794 which is by far the fastest time of the day so far. Hamilton pops up to second behind him, four-tenths of a second slower.

Norris produces the fastest time of all in the first sector, despite seemingly not having a great run out of the final corner, but pits at the end of the lap.

Pierre Gasly is the latest driver to discover a gravel trap, he goes off at turn three. “I can’t brake,” he reports.

Charles Leclerc starts a decent lap but picks up some serious understeer in the final sector and backs out of it.

Speaking of Norris, he understeers wildly at the exit of turn four but gathers it up. Nico Hulkenberg’s eventful session goes on as he clatters through the gravel trap at turn six.

Carlos Sainz Jnr began a quick lap but had to back out of it when he caught Piastri. He tries again ang goes quickest of all, on the medium rubber, with a 1’17.302. That’s five-hundredths of a second off Norris’s benchmark from earlier today, set on softs.

Russell nabs the top time from Norris by a tenth of a second, running a set of the hard tyres on his Mercedes.

Norris puts up a 1’17.671 to go quickest on the medium rubber, four-tenths of a second slower than he went on the softs in the earlier session.

Nico Hulkenberg radios his team and says he needs to pit because a ‘safety plug’ has been left in his car.

Now George Russell takes a close look at Norris as they approach turn nine but thinks better of it.

For the second session in a row, Norris drops a wheel onto the grass soon after leaving the garage, this time it’s in the pit lane exit as he swerves around Liam Lawson.

Haas are busy working on Oliver Bearman’s car which he damaged in first practice. It’s still up on stands in the garage so he won’t be heading out immediately.

Lando Norris set the pace in the opening session earlier today, but there was very little between the teams. The seven fastest different cars were covered by six tenths of a second – an encouraging sign for the season ahead.

Second practice for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is coming up next.

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There’s only four minutes left but Bearman is finally putting his helmet on.

Leclerc running a slightly faster pace on the mediums at the moment than Norris. Verstappen a few tenths off the pair of them on the same rubber.

Verstappen completes his lap and sets a 1’17.063 for seventh. He was well into that run on softs, though.

Finally a lap coming from Verstappen? He does a personal best first sector time, as does Alexander Albon.

Piastri goes quickest in the final sector as he sets the second-fastest time, still a tenth off Leclerc.

Leclerc displaced Norris at the top of the times with a 1’16.439, over a tenth of a second quicker than the McLaren. Verstappen still hasn’t got anything like a representative time in, encountering traffic and backing out.

Fernando Alonso takes to the grass at turn one. An unimpressed Gasly picks his way through traffic at turn four.

Isack Hadjar produces a decent lap for fifth – Williams caught the eye in the first session, Racing Bulls have in the second.

There is once again a significant amount of gravel just off-line at the exit of turn six. Unlike in the first session, no red flag yet.

Verstappen starts a lap but backs out of it after a twitch of oversteer at turn three. Norris goes top with a 1’16.580, two-tenths up on Tsunoda.

Yuki Tsunoda now takes the top time with a 1’16.784 in his Racing Bulls.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli goes 10th on softs, three-tenths of a second off his team mate.

Liam Lawson only 14th with that run on a set of softs – and he was outside of track limits at turn four.

The Sauber mechanics are busy working on Hulkenberg’s floor after his trip through the gravel. We’re 20 minutes into the session and Bearman has still not joined the track.

Leclerc does the fastest first sector and gets a cleaner end to the lap, lopping half a second off Sainz’s best time with a 1’16.794 which is by far the fastest time of the day so far. Hamilton pops up to second behind him, four-tenths of a second slower.

Norris produces the fastest time of all in the first sector, despite seemingly not having a great run out of the final corner, but pits at the end of the lap.

Pierre Gasly is the latest driver to discover a gravel trap, he goes off at turn three. “I can’t brake,” he reports.

Charles Leclerc starts a decent lap but picks up some serious understeer in the final sector and backs out of it.

Speaking of Norris, he understeers wildly at the exit of turn four but gathers it up. Nico Hulkenberg’s eventful session goes on as he clatters through the gravel trap at turn six.

Carlos Sainz Jnr began a quick lap but had to back out of it when he caught Piastri. He tries again ang goes quickest of all, on the medium rubber, with a 1’17.302. That’s five-hundredths of a second off Norris’s benchmark from earlier today, set on softs.

Russell nabs the top time from Norris by a tenth of a second, running a set of the hard tyres on his Mercedes.

Norris puts up a 1’17.671 to go quickest on the medium rubber, four-tenths of a second slower than he went on the softs in the earlier session.

Nico Hulkenberg radios his team and says he needs to pit because a ‘safety plug’ has been left in his car.

Now George Russell takes a close look at Norris as they approach turn nine but thinks better of it.

For the second session in a row, Norris drops a wheel onto the grass soon after leaving the garage, this time it’s in the pit lane exit as he swerves around Liam Lawson.

Haas are busy working on Oliver Bearman’s car which he damaged in first practice. It’s still up on stands in the garage so he won’t be heading out immediately.

Lando Norris set the pace in the opening session earlier today, but there was very little between the teams. The seven fastest different cars were covered by six tenths of a second – an encouraging sign for the season ahead.

Second practice for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is coming up next.

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Browse all 2025 Australian Grand Prix articles

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The session has been red-flagged. There’s a build-up of gravel at turn six where Jack Doohan, Max Verstappen and others have run wide.

Top times so far:
1. Charles Leclerc: 1’17.880
2. George Russell: 1’18.030
3. Isack Hadjar: 1’18.218
4. Lando Norris: 1’18.253
5. Max Verstappen: 1’18.325

Melburnian Oscar Piastri has just fallen out of the top 10 as he rejoins the track now in his McLaren.

Another of the new names appears near the top of the times – Isack Hadjar goes third for the team now officially known as Racing Bulls, which went by the initials RB last year.

Newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is running the camber-exaggerating onboard camera in this session, is a second off the pace so far in 13th.

We’re a quarter of an hour in and Leclerc still leads the way. He’s in the pits at the moment, while George Russell pops up into second place, 0.15 seconds off the Ferrari.

Another improvement from Leclerc brings the top time down to a 1’17.880 so we’re already well under last year’s best time from this session. That six-tenths of a second off the best time from second practice.

Charles Leclerc now takes over at the top with a 1’18.317, followed by the McLaren pair. Only Nico Hulkenberg and Alexander Albon are yet to set times.

Liam Lawson glanced the wall with the right-hand side of his car on the way into turn nine.

Max Verstappen puts up a 1’19.771 to lead the early running, which is 1.2 seconds off the best time seen in this session last year, set by Norris.

Lando Norris immediately touches the grass at turn five as he tries to pass a car ahead. No harm done and he makes his way past.

The cars head out for the first time.

Melbourne is the scene of the season-opener for the first time since 2019 – it was supposed to open the 2020 championship before the Covid-19 pandemic changed that.

It’s finally time to get a glimpse of the real pecking order as all 20 cars prepare to take to the track together for the first time this year.

The first practice session for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is coming up next.

2025 Australian Grand Prix

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