Piastri Dominates Second Practice in Australia
Australian driver Oscar Piastri shone in the second free practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, setting the best time with a record of 1:19.729 at the Albert Park circuit, Melbourne.
On board his McLaren, Piastri surpassed the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who was 0.214 seconds behind, and George Russell, third at 0.320 seconds.
The session witnessed intense competition between McLaren and Mercedes, setting the tone for the start of the championship.
The current world champion, Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, finished in seventh position, more than a second off the fastest time.
Ferrari, who led the first session, had a less outstanding performance, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth place and Charles Leclerc in fifth.
Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, improved his performance to secure the sixth-best time.
Behind Verstappen, Norris, Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls, and Frenchman Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull were placed.
In the middle of the table, Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) finished in fourteenth position, while Carlos Sainz Jr. was 17th and Franco Colapinto 18th.
Fernando Alonso, with Aston Martin, had problems and finished last among the drivers with registered time.
Sergio Pérez, at the wheel of Cadillac, failed to set an official time.
The session was marked by incidents, including contact between Russell and Lindblad, and yellow flags due to mechanical problems.
Piastri achieved the reference time in the final part of the session, consolidating the rivalry between McLaren and Mercedes.
