F1 Australian GP: Verstappen leads Hamilton in twice red-flagged first practice

Max Verstappen topped opening practice for Formula 1’s 2023 Australian Grand Prix, which was twice disrupted by red flags – including a fix for a bizarre glitch with the car-tracking GPS systems.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Verstappen’s 1m18.790s led the way ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who jumped up the order late on after initially struggling with the handling of his W14, and running adrift of his team-mate George Russell during the early exploratory laps on the harder tyres.

Sergio Perez took third in the second Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, although the former’s best time was set on the mediums.

Then came Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had an off-track moment midway through the session after the rear of his SF-23 snapped right running through the Turns 1-2 complex.

Several drivers had similar issues, with AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda's off the most dramatic as he fully spun and nearly flipped over when his AT04 hit the gravel trap deep in the runoff.

Heavy wind gusted across the Albert Park track at this point all through FP1, which likely contributed to the many issues the drivers were having once they began to press on the soft compound tyres to get their eyes in for early qualifying simulation preparation.

Lando Norris took seventh for McLaren ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Russell and Lance Stroll, who rounded out the top 10 in the second Aston and was the only other leading car runner to set their personal best on the mediums.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Photo by: Jake Grant

Although he led the way, Verstappen’s session was not smooth, as he regularly missed the Turn 1 apex and at one point had to catch a big oversteer snap going through the quickly following Turn 2.

In the closing stages, he climbed too far over the Turn 4 exit kerbs while pushing on softs and spun off sideways – at the same spot on the Melbourne track where Sebastian Vettel crashed his Aston in the 2022 race here last year after making a similar mistake.

Just past the halfway point, the session was suspended when the GPS system used by F1 went down and several drivers had near misses due to their squads being unable to inform them of other cars approaching with big speed differences.

This led to a nine-minute red flag, with a second stoppage following in the closing minutes as Logan Sargeant stopped his Williams at the exit of Turn 11 due to a suspected electric issue.

Full Australian GP FP1 results:

Cla Driver Chassis Engine Time Gap
1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Red Bull 1'18.790  
2 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 1'19.223 0.433
3 Mexico Sergio Perez Red Bull Red Bull 1'19.293 0.503
4 Spain Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Mercedes 1'19.317 0.527
5 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari Ferrari 1'19.378 0.588
6 Spain Carlos Sainz Ferrari Ferrari 1'19.505 0.715
7 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 1'19.536 0.746
8 France Pierre Gasly Alpine Renault 1'19.646 0.856
9 United Kingdom George Russell Mercedes Mercedes 1'19.699 0.909
10 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Mercedes 1'19.766 0.976
11 Thailand Alex Albon Williams Mercedes 1'19.766 0.976
12 Australia Oscar Piastri McLaren Mercedes 1'19.777 0.987
13 Germany Nico Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 1'19.806 1.016
14 Netherlands Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri Red Bull 1'19.933 1.143
15 United States Logan Sargeant Williams Mercedes 1'20.074 1.284
16 France Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 1'20.175 1.385
17 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri Red Bull 1'20.399 1.609
18 Finland Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo Ferrari 1'20.419 1.629
19 China Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo Ferrari 1'20.569 1.779
20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1'21.147 2.357
shares
comments

FIA bans jacks touching F1 cars during pitstop penalties after Alonso review

Australian GP: F1 technical images from the pitlane explained

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jonathan Noble

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14 How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Alex Kalinuackas

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Alex Kalinauckas

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Jonathan Noble

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Matt Kew

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari? Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Subscribe