The Formula 1 World Championship has already begun with free practice 1 and free practice 2 of the Australian Grand Prix, with a big surprise, once again, with the Williams of Carlos Sainz, stopping the clock with the second best time in free practice 1, behind Lando Norris, but he was unable to set a time in the second session with the soft tyres, the only one on the entire grid. Fernando Alonso has brought Aston Martin back into the middle zone. The predominant feature of this first day of free practice was the great equality.
Caution with Carlos Sainz’s Williams
Carlos Sainz, as he did in the last tests in Bahrain, was among the best of the day. The Williams team have been urging caution over the last three weeks, and tomorrow we will see where they really are, but if one thing is clear, the step forward is big and undeniable, and it looks like the man from Madrid is going to bring joy to Spanish motorsport this season.
Carlos Sainz finished free practice 1 in second place, just 0.149 behind Lando Norris, the big favorite this season, who set a time of 1:17.252 in the first session, surprising the paddock. Alexander Albon confirmed Williams’ step forward, setting the sixth fastest time, three tenths behind his team-mate.
In free practice 2 he could only manage eleventh, but he did it with the medium tire, when the whole grid set their best times in this session with the soft. We don’t know the reasons why he couldn’t set a time with this tire, but he stayed in the middle of the table, a fact that continues to show his potential.
Alonso and Aston Martin are back
The forecasts for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso have been confirmed, much to the relief of those at Silverstone. The Asturian driver managed to put the AMR25 in eighth position in free practice 1, just four tenths of a second behind Lando Norris, while Stroll achieved tenth place, confirming his recovery.
During the second session, Alonso stopped the clock in 13th place, behind Stroll, who was ninth. Therefore, given that these times may be an indication of what we will see tomorrow in qualifying, they confirm the predictions for the AMR25.
As a result, the Aston Martin seems to have recovered from the setback of last season, something that will have to be confirmed in tomorrow’s qualifying.
Ferrari and McLaren rule
If Lando Norris was the fastest during the first session, in the second session it was Charles Leclerc‘s turn. Both drivers shared the best time and, in the case of the Monegasque driver, he showed that, for the moment, he is above Lewis Hamilton, who could only put his car in fifth position.
Red Bull and Mercedes are the negative surprise. Verstappen and Russell have covered up the embarrassments of their respective teams, but the rookies, Antonelli and Dawson have been at the bottom of the rankings.
Maximum equality
Free practice clarifies the picture slightly, but we will see the real cards during qualifying tomorrow. What is clear is the great equality on the grid, and one tenth can make you gain many positions on the grid. During free practice 1 there was less than a second between first place and thirteenth place. And during free practice 2, there are up to 15 drivers in less than a second.
After the first day of testing, Carlos Sainz gives us reason to dream, and Fernando Alonso confirms Aston Martin’s return to the midfield. We’ll see what happens tomorrow during qualifying, but for now, the Spanish drivers give us reason to think that they will have a lot to say this season.