Leclerc fears Verstappen’s problems; good start for Sainz and Alonso

After some first free practice marked by the wind and the difficulty of keeping the line, came the always main things Free 2 in Albert Park. And the problems of keeping the car on the track are back. There are many braking passes, excursions and even spins. The one who knows best how to adapt to the situation is Charles Leclercwhich proved to be superior to others, exploiting the unexpected problems of Max Verstappen at login. Evenhe The Dutchman was second but more than three tenths behind the Monegasque. Sainz He played a big role in his first day riding in an F1 after his appendicitis surgery. The Madrid native was third while Alonso finished in fifth place.

All the pilots took off with no time to lose. All but the World Cup leader, Max Verstappen. Red Bull seemed to have setbacks at the start of the session with all the sidepods open and the car dismantled and ten minutes passed. In fact, It took 23 minutes to get out of the session.

In the first few minutes the times drop each lap as the track heats up. First to drop 1’17” was Charles Leclerc with Ferrari with 1.17.936. Alonso came close but at turn 6 he stepped on the grass, jumped and was about to crash. In the second attempt he did not fail and overtook the Monegasque by 24 thousandths with soft tires.

However, dominating the session midway through was Lance Stroll with a 1:17.822 but whose Leclerc Soft rubber led him by almost four tenths of a margin. He later reduced his own time to Ferrari in 1:17.277 and The closest to him is Carlos Sainz but more than four-tenths.

Verstappen He was the last to try a fast lap. Repair problems with the damaged flat bottom in Free Practice 1 delayed his entire program and therefore he was a bit behind the others. Despite finding a more rubberized track, the Red Bull driver copied Sainz’s time, remaining 0”430 behind Leclerc’s time. On his second attempt he dropped his time and finished second out of two Ferrari at 0”381 from Charles.

Since then, the race simulation has come to the final stage of the session and the time table has not undergone changes in Aston Martin completes the TOP5. The cost was greater for Pérez, who was eighth last Russell and Piastrisixth and seventh, eight-tenths of the best time. Norris and Tsunoda They closed the TOP10.

The big negative surprise this Friday was Lewis Hamilton. The British driver from Mercedes finished 18th, one and a half seconds behind Leclerc. Very lacking throughout the day.

Those unable to participate in the second session are Alexander Albon. The Thai had a very bad accident in the first round with the Williams and there is not enough time to repair all the damage. In fact, by not having a third chassis in Australia, his career was in jeopardy.