Australian GP 2024
MARCH 22, 2024
Friday Report - Leclerc on top
© Ferrari
The second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc setting the fastest lap time, leading the pack with a time of 1m17.277s on his second attempt with soft tyres. This effort placed him ahead of the competition, marking a clear lead over Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was 0.381 seconds behind, and Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, who rounded out the top three with a gap of 0.430 seconds from Leclerc.
Verstappen's participation in FP2 was delayed due to repairs on his Red Bull RB20 after sustaining damage from a kerb strike in FP1. Despite starting on medium tyres while others moved to softs, Verstappen quickly caught up, matching Sainz's time and then surpassing it on his following lap with soft tyres.
Leclerc's performance early on with medium tyres also stood out, initially setting a time of 1m17.936s, which displaced Lando Norris' leading time from FP1. However, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll briefly challenged Ferrari's dominance mid-session with impressive sector times before Leclerc reclaimed the top spot.
Towards the end of the session, the teams shifted their focus to longer runs, testing both the soft and medium tyres in preparation for race conditions. Despite these changes in focus, Leclerc's early lap time remained unbeaten, solidifying his position at the top of the leaderboard for FP2.
Behind the leaders, the session also highlighted competitive times from other drivers and teams, with Stroll finishing fourth, Alonso fifth, and Mercedes' George Russell in sixth. Home hero Oscar Piastri managed to place seventh.
Alex Albon did not participate in FP2 due to an incident in FP1, leaving Williams to assess the possibility of repairing his car for the next session. The results of FP2 set an intriguing stage for the upcoming sessions and the race itself, indicating a closely fought battle at the front of the grid.