The 2016 season opener began on Friday at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. FP1 gave teams their first chance to check their basic car set-ups at the Australian Grand Prix venue. The temporary road circuit’s surface and limited grip meant that the times mainly served to establish a baseline, with qualifying competitiveness still uncertain.
Lewis Hamilton was fastest with a 1:29.725, 0.421 seconds ahead of Daniil Kvyat. The two Red Bulls followed closely in the order, with Kvyat second and home driver Daniel Ricciardo third. Mercedes and Red Bull were the main forces at the front of the session.
Nico Hülkenberg ended practice fourth, the only driver in the top four from a team other than Mercedes or Red Bull. Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen was fifth and Nico Rosberg sixth. Among the drivers chasing Hamilton in the top six, the deficits ranged from 0.421 to 2.089 seconds.
The two McLaren drivers were seventh and eighth, with Fernando Alonso 0.069 seconds ahead of Jenson Button. Both completed more than ten laps, providing the team with initial running feedback. Lap times at this stage remained influenced by different tyres and testing programmes.
Ferrari had a difficult start in FP1. Kimi Räikkönen was 17th. Sebastian Vettel completed eight laps, but the official results recorded no valid time for him. Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz also set no time, completing only three laps.
Further down the order, Renault’s Kevin Magnussen was tenth, while Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto were 16th and 19th for Manor. For newcomers Haas, Esteban Gutiérrez was 18th and Romain Grosjean 20th.
Hamilton set the session’s fastest time over 14 laps, while Rosberg completed 11. Teams were still adjusting brakes and suspension and adapting to the circuit. The large gaps further down the order left their ultimate pace uncertain, with FP2 later that day set to provide another independent set of data.
Hamilton topped the opening session with a 1:29.725, ahead of Red Bull drivers Kvyat and Ricciardo in second and third. Rosberg was sixth after 11 laps. Vettel completed eight laps and Sainz three, with neither recording a valid time.
| Position | Driver | Team | Lap time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:29.725 | 14 |
| 2 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull | +0.421 s | 14 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | +1.150 s | 13 |
| 4 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | +1.600 s | 8 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | +1.995 s | 14 |
| 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | +2.089 s | 11 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | +3.335 s | 11 |
| 8 | Jenson Button | McLaren | +3.404 s | 16 |
| 9 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | +3.645 s | 6 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | +4.335 s | 13 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | +4.825 s | 6 |
| 12 | Felipe Massa | Williams | +4.954 s | 6 |
| 13 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | +5.071 s | 7 |
| 14 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | +5.752 s | 12 |
| 15 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | +8.231 s | 6 |
| 16 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | +10.676 s | 6 |
| 17 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | +11.029 s | 10 |
| 18 | Esteban Gutiérrez | Haas | +12.055 s | 8 |
| 19 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | +13.647 s | 7 |
| 20 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | +13.718 s | 6 |
| 21 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | No time | 8 |
| 22 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | No time | 3 |
