Oscar Piastri was the fastest driver in second practice for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri set the Australian crowd’s hearts aflutter as the McLaren driver went quickest in the second practice session in Melbourne.
The McLaren driver led a Mercedes-powered 1-2-3 in the afternoon session at Albert Park, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell joining Piastri at the front.
Oscar Piastri goes fastest in second practice in Melbourne
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google for news you can trust.
Piastri set a 1:19.729 on the soft tyre with 20 minutes remaining in the second practice session, pipping the two Mercedes drivers to top spot.
The Brackey-based squad had bounced back from a subdued first practice session, with Kimi Antonelli putting in a 1:19.943 to go a tenth clear of George Russell, before the Australian went quicker than both.
Ferrari, having topped the times in the opening session, placed fourth and fifth with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, respectively, while Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull.
It was a dramatic session for the Dutch driver, who had his car cut out at the end of the pitlane as the start of the session, while he flew off the track at Turn 10 in the closing minutes, resulting in damage to the RB22 as parts were knocked off as his car bounced along the grass and gravel.
Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren, getting his weekend back on track after his gearbox issues in FP1, while Arvid Lindblad was eighth for Racing Bulls.
Isack Hadjar finished his first day at a Grand Prix event as a Red Bull driver in ninth, having been one of many drivers to slide harmlessly off the track after failing to slow sufficiently for a corner.
The top 10 was rounded out by Haas’ Esteban Ocon.
With five minutes remaining of the session, Cadillac’s Sergio Perez had to pull over and stop at the side of the track, having only just managed to take to the track after spending most of the session in the garage with a sensor issue.
F1 2026 Results: Australian Grand Prix, Free Practice 2
- 1. Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:19.729
- 2. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.214
- 3. George Russell Mercedes +0.320
- 4. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.321
- 5. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.562
- 6. Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.637
- 7. Lando Norris McLaren +1.065
- 8. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.193
- 9. Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.212
- 10. Esteban Ocon Haas +1.450
- 12. Oliver Bearman Haas +1.597
- 12. Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1.622
- 13. Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.629
- 14. Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1.939
- 15. Alex Albon Williams +2.118
- 16. Pierre Gasly Alpine +2.438
- 17. Carlos Sainz Williams +2.524
- 18. Franco Colapinto Alpine +2.890
- 19. Valtteri Bottas Cadillac +3.931
- 20. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +4.933
- 21. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +6.087
- 22. Sergio Perez Cadillac No time
Read Next: Australian GP: Leclerc tops first F1 2026 practice in Ferrari 1-2 as Norris sidelined
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Originally published by Planet F1 —
Read Original Article