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Formula 1 Australian GP

F1 Australian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 & Qualifying

Saturday's action from the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18

Over two years on from the cancelled Australian GP due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 returns to a revamped Albert Park.

The key track changes see sections of the circuit widened, the Turn 9-10 chicane taken out to increase speeds in a flowing back section and the entire layout has been resurfaced. All changes have been made in the hope of increasing overtaking opportunities and creating more exciting races.

Sebastian Vettel is back for Aston Martin after missing the opening two races having tested positive for COVID-19 and had an eventful Friday after suffering an engine failure in FP1 which ruled him out of second practice, while he also picked up a €5000 fine for riding a scooter on-track back to the pits after FP1.

F1 world championship leader Charles Leclerc topped Friday practice for Ferrari from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, after Carlos Sainz Jr was fastest in FP1.

Final practice for the Australian GP gets underway at 4am BST (1pm local time), followed by qualifying at 7am BST (4pm local time).

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Verstappen has just improved to fourth but Hamilton is down in 18th at the moment but on a faster lap now.
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And that effort from the Mercedes driver has put him eighth, while Perez has now retaken top spot from Alonso as he goes to a 1m19.458s
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Russell is not happy in the other Mercedes. "It's just a bit all over the place at the moment," he says on the radio.
While Sainz is not happy with Latifi - "I almost crashed," he moans and the Williams driver could well get a penalty for that later.
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Sainz had been languishing, by Ferrari's recent improved standards, in seventh but he now goes to the top of the times on the softs with a 1m19.419s.
To emphasise what a poor weekend for Aston Martin this is, the sole car running now of Stroll is only 19th quickest, trailing the two Williams drivers.
Meanwhile, LUKE SMITH has dug out an interesting story from the paddock as Singapore could host a double-header later in the year to replace the cancelled Russian GP: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/second-singapore-f1-race-emerges-as-possible-russian-gp-replacement/9736540/
Alonso is on another lap meanwhile and has gone slightly quicker in the first sector, can he reclaim top spot from his countryman?
But that effort from Alonso falls 0.3s short and he remains third. Meanwhile, the two Mercedes drivers are now a more encouraging sixth and seventh, Hamilton leading Russell.
Just over 10 minutes of the session remaining, and it's Sainz who still has the fastest time by less than half a tenth of a second from Perez, Alonso, Leclerc and Verstappen.
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And there's now a great improvement from home driver Ricciardo as he takes his McLaren up to fourth.
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But that's nothing compared to what team-mate Norris manages, as he jumps up to the top of the times on a 1m19.117s!
Verstappen complains about understeer and it seems Red Bull is struggling to get the set-up quite right on his car as he's down in seventh - just ahead of the Mercedes drivers - at the moment.
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Alonso has now improved on his lap and goes second with a 1m19.275s to trail Norris by just a tenth.
Verstappen just had a big wobble through the opening couple of corners - it seems he's really struggling to find the right balance with that car.
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Leclerc is now up to second as the mixed-up order now looks a little more as expected but he's still a tenth down on Norris.
Red flag
And we've got another Aston off! What a disaster for the Silverstone squad!
Stroll has gone straight into the barriers at Turn 11, but with much less damage than to Vettel's earlier impact. But that means the end to the session. It was a lock-up for the Canadian and he just couldn't get the car turned in.
So, we've got a very jumbled order at the end of the session. Who would've predicted Norris heading Leclerc, Perez, Alonso and Sainz in that one? Certainly not us, but how much we can read into it remains to be seen.
A lot of drivers would've been looking for more from that session, not least the two Aston Martin racers - and that team will have frantic repairs to make now. But Verstappen also had a tricky session and didn't look at all comfortable.
Just before Stroll's crash, Norris was given an urgent warning from his team warning him to pit immediately and not to use full throttle. He may have topped that session but it seems there's some concern at McLaren.
We've only got two hours until qualifying so plenty for the teams to ponder after that disrupted session.
Aside from the Aston crashes, there were notable off-track moments for Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell in FP3 it what was a scrappy session.
Some more replays have just shown the extent of the porpoising suffered by Mercedes during that session, Hamilton was bouncing around all over the place down the back 'straight'!
Breaking news
Here's our report from a very eventful FP3 in Australia - certainly plenty to keep those up in the early hours awake in that one! https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-australian-gp-norris-leads-fp3-as-both-aston-martins-crash-out/9737138/
We'll be back in around 90 minutes for what promises to be an intriguing qualifying session for the Australian GP! Bye for now
Hello once more! It is almost time for qualifying for the Australian GP.

Here's a quick recap on today's action so far if you missed final practice:

Lando Norris topped FP3 for McLaren as both Aston Martin drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll crashed in the session. Here's the full report:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-australian-gp-norris-leads-fp3-as-both-aston-martins-crash-out/9737138/

There has also been a series of changes covering a variety of topics. The most pressing is a DRS zone has been removed on safety grounds from the Albert Park layout. Elsewhere the FIA is clamping down on drivers' underwear (yes, really) plus safety car restart rules. Not for the same reason, you'll be pleased to hear.
Back to the matter at hand, qualifying for the Australian GP. The last time this happened was back in 2019 when Hamilton led a Mercedes front row lockout.

The chances of a Mercedes domination repeat is slim given the team's current fortunes with its porpoising and car issues. The Ferrari pair looked strong in practice, as did Red Bull's Verstappen, while a surprise could come from the likes of Norris or Alonso.

For now, focus is on Q1 and specifically the Aston Martin garage who are racing to get both cars ready for qualifying.
Lights green
Here we go, time for Q1.
Plenty of early runners in this session including the Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Williams, AlphaTauris, Haas and Alfa Romeo's Zhou.
Still no sign of either Aston Martin, but Stroll is at the back of the garage with his race gear on.
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Magnussen provides the first lap time of Q1, a 1m21.243s for the rest to chase.
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Leclerc goes top with a 1m19.391s, 0.373s up on Norris, as both Red Bull drivers take to the track for the first time.
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Sainz is now fastest of anyone with a 1m19.179s, ahead of Perez, Leclerc and Verstappen.
Latifi locks up at Turn 11 and dips a couple of wheels on to the gravel which pushes him into a half-spin. The Williams driver gets his car stopped to avoid drifting into the inside wall and gets going again.

By: autosport.com

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