Oscar Piastri set the fastest time of the day in FP2 at the Australian Grand Prix, edging out Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Reigning World Champion Lando Norris returned to the track after missing much of FP1 due to precautionary gearbox checks.
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Early incidents included Russell clipping rookie Arvid Lindblad in the pit lane and Franco Colapinto slowing unexpectedly on track, forcing Lewis Hamilton into evasive action. Both incidents are under stewards’ review.
Max Verstappen also ran into trouble, stalling his RB22 in the pit lane and requiring a tow back to the garage before attempting flying laps.
Fernando Alonso returned late from a suspected power unit issue, completing a slow out lap before heading back to the pits without setting a time, while team mate Lance Stroll completed a lap but remained at the rear.
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Russell then stormed to the top of the timesheets on soft tyres, beating Piastri’s FP1 benchmark by over two-tenths, with Antonelli also dipping into the 1m 19s bracket just before halfway. Russell later locked up at Turn 3, a mistake Hamilton also made later in the session.
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Piastri reclaimed P1, with the top four teams dominating the first eight positions, while Lindblad demonstrated FP1 pace was no fluke by finishing P5.
In the closing stages Verstappen suffered high-speed oversteer at Turn 10, damaging the floor, and both Stroll and Carlos Sainz returned to the pits with unresolved issues. Sergio Perez brought out a Virtual Safety Car after stopping with a suspected hydraulic fault, having already missed most of the session due to a sensor problem.
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Piastri ended the session on top with a 1m 19.729s lap, holding a two-tenths advantage over Antonelli. Russell was third, Hamilton just 0.001s behind, with Leclerc fifth and Verstappen sixth. Norris was P7, followed by Lindblad, Isack Hadjar, and Esteban Ocon in the top 10. Ollie Bearman took P11 for Haas.
Nico Hulkenberg finished 12th ahead of Lawson, Bortoleto, Albon, and Gasly. Sainz ended P17 after only ten laps, ahead of Colapinto and Valtteri Bottas, while Alonso and Stroll were P20 and P21. Perez completed two laps to finish last.
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