2024 F1 Round 3, Australian GP FP2: Leclerc Fastest in 1:17.277, 0.381 Seconds Clear of Verstappen, Tsunoda Tenth

Second practice for the 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix concluded at Albert Park on the afternoon of 22 March Beijing time. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the times with a 1:17.277, a substantial 0.381 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in second. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda made the top ten again, finishing tenth, 0.911 seconds off the pace.

Having damaged his floor late in first practice, Verstappen remained in the garage for more than 20 minutes at the start of FP2. He completed the fewest laps of anyone who ran but still took second, beating Carlos Sainz, returning after surgery, by 0.049 seconds. Leclerc and Sainz put Ferrari first and third, although the headline times suggested that Red Bull and Ferrari were not far apart. Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said Ferrari had used its most aggressive engine mode during qualifying simulations, while Red Bull had not.

The two Aston Martins were closest to the leading trio. Despite running onto the grass at the final corner, Lance Stroll finished fourth, 0.090 seconds ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso in the same car. Mercedes’ George Russell was sixth, ahead of McLaren’s home driver Oscar Piastri. Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton damaged the chassis and other parts in an off-track excursion. After repairs, he returned to the circuit but still reported that something did not feel right, and finished only eighteenth, 1.557 seconds behind the leader.

Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was eighth, with FP1 pace-setter Lando Norris ninth. Just 0.111 seconds separated Piastri in seventh from Tsunoda in tenth, but there was then a clear gap of 0.233 seconds. Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu was eleventh, while Daniel Ricciardo finished twelfth, 0.346 seconds behind team-mate Tsunoda.

Alexander Albon missed the session because repairs following his FP1 crash had not progressed as quickly as hoped. Logan Sargeant, left to carry Williams’ hopes alone, also came close to a costly trip into the gravel. Reports suggested that, depending on the damage to Albon’s car, Sargeant could be forced to miss the remainder of the weekend.