Australian GP: Max Verstappen sets dry pace before Fernando Alonso tops rain-hit second practice

World championship leader Max Verstappen fastest in chaotic opening session at Albert Park; Fernando Alonso tops timesheet for Aston Martin in rain-hit second practice; watch Australian GP Qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 at 6am on Saturday, with build-up from 5:15am

Max Verstappen set the pace for Red Bull in first practice at the Australian Grand Prix before Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso topped a rain-hit second session in Melbourne on Friday.

World championship leader Verstappen was fastest in a chaotic session to start the weekend in Melbourne, with the Dutchman one of several drivers to spin in challenging conditions at Albert Park.

Lewis Hamilton was second to Verstappen, but the Mercedes driver’s lofty position was aided by the timing of the second of two red flags in the session, which brought a premature end to proceedings.

Verstappen’s main competition once more appeared to be his team-mate Sergio Perez, with the pair having shared a victory apiece in dominant Red Bull one-twos at each of the opening two races of the season.

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A number of drivers narrowly avoided crashing as opening practice was halted at the Australian Grand Prix due a GPS system failure

They are separated by just one point in the drivers’ standings, and appeared tightly matched in Melbourne as they exchanged fastest lap-times mid-way through the opening session, before Verstappen pulled almost exactly half a second clear.

However, the fact that Perez’s best time came on the medium tyre, while Verstappen’s was on the faster soft compound, suggests the pair are once more closely matched.

Their closest challenger this season has been Alonso, who has taken podiums in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in Aston Martin’s much-improved 2023 car, and the Spaniard was fourth behind Perez in the first session.

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Lance Stroll almost crashed into the wall during a wet second practice session at Albert Park Circuit

The 41-year-old then claimed the honour of topping Practice Two, having set the fastest time when rain arrived after around 10 minutes of running, with conditions only worsening throughout the remainder of the session.

Plenty of drivers went out on track for wet running, but it is unlikely to be a factor with no more rain forecast for the weekend in Melbourne.

More to follow…