Australian Grand Prix
Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne Dates: 14 March-16 March Race begin: 04:00 GMT on Sunday, 16 March
Protection: Reside radio commentary of observe and qualifying on BBC 5 Sports activities Further, race stay on BBC Radio 5 Reside. Reside textual content updates on BBC Sport web site and app
British rookie Oliver Bearman crashed closely in first observe on the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Lando Norris set the tempo for McLaren.
Bearman, beginning his first full season in Components 1 after three cameo appearances final 12 months for Ferrari and Haas, misplaced management in Flip 10 and spun into the wall. He was unharmed.
Lewis Hamilton was down in twelfth in his first session for Ferrari, 0.819 seconds off the tempo and 0.61 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, in third place behind Norris and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
Hamilton complained over the radio to Ferrari that he was “struggling to show the automobile” at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Norris was 0.149 seconds away from Sainz, who edged Leclerc by 0.06secs.
The Briton’s team-mate, Oscar Piastri, was fourth quickest, forward of Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen, Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Russell misplaced management of his Williams after dropping a wheel on to the grass late within the session however managed to keep away from any harm.
Behind the Briton, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was eighth, break up from his team-mate Lance Stroll by French rookie Isack Hadjar within the Racing Bull.
Bearman’s crash introduced out a purple flag, stopping the session for 10 minutes whereas his broken automobile was cleared from the observe.
It was the second stoppage of the session after officers introduced out the purple flag to clear gravel from the circuit on the exit of Flip Six, dragged there by Australian rookie Jack Doohan within the Alpine.
Shortly after working resumed, Piastri additionally ran barely extensive on the nook, one of the vital troublesome on the observe, and introduced contemporary gravel on to the circuit however the session continued.
The wall and kerb on the nook have been reworked for this 12 months’s race to attempt to keep away from the form of accidents that bothered each Russell and Albon final 12 months, when each crashed closely and bounced again on to the observe, coming to relaxation in the midst of the circuit.
However the FIA might have to have a look at the nook once more to cease repeated stoppages for gravel on the observe this weekend.
Off observe, there was a major improvement after it emerged that every one 10 groups have now signed their business agreements with F1, committing them to the game till 2030.
Earlier than their present offers run out on the finish of this season, they nonetheless have to barter their contracts with governing physique the FIA, which can take a while.
