Oscar Piastri goes quickest as crisis unfolds at Aston Martin – round-up
Oscar Piastri was the quickest man on track on Friday.
Friday saw the first official day of running in the 2026 Formula 1 season as FP1 and FP2 took place in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
Amongst the on-track action, three of the team principals spoke to the media including Adrian Newey who picked the bones of the ongoing crisis at Aston. Here’s what you may have missed:
Catch up on all the F1 news of the day
Oscar Piastri tops FP2 but Mercedes look ominous
We saw cars on track for the first time in an official session as almost all 22 cars rolled out for Free Practice 1 in Australia.
As to be expected with the start of any new era, there were issues up and down the grid with Oscar Piastri amongst those reporting engine issues but nowhere was it worse than at Aston where Fernando Alonso was unable to even take part due to a PU issue.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen battled for supremacy but ultimately it was the Ferrari man who went quickest in FP1.
In the afternoon session, there was drama from the off as George Russell crashed into Arvid Lindblad as he attempted to shove his way into the way fast lane and Lewis Hamilton had to avoid a slow-moving Franco Colapinto on the main straight.
Ultimately, Piastri proved the quickest with a time of 1:19.729 but Mercedes’ occupation of P2 and P3 seemed to confirm pre-season predictions that they would be amongst the favourites.
You can catch up on the FP1 report here and the FP2 report here.
Adrian Newey unpacks Aston Martin’s Honda nightmare
In between the sessions, three of the team principals faced the media including Adrian Newey who firmly pointed the finger at Honda for their issues.
The former Red Bull designer explained the circumstances Aston Martin had walked into as they came to realise that only 30% of Honda’s championship-winning engine team remained there and that they were firmly behind schedule.
Newey also stated that Aston have just two batteries available to them, both of which are currently in the cars.
Read more on what Newey had to say here.
George Russell avoids Australian GP penalties
FP2 was a busy one for Russell who was summoned to the stewards for two separate incidents.
As we previously mentioned, a collision with Lindblad in the pits was the first but he was also investigated for practice starts in the wrong area.
Luckily for the man many have predicted to win the title this year, he avoided any penalty for Australian GP and was instead given a reprimand for the pit lane incident and a warning for the incorrect start.
F1 president criticises Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali sat down with Sky Sports for a pre-season interview and amongst the topics was Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, two drivers who had voiced their displeasure at the new rule set.
The Italian suggested it was wrong for the drivers to speak out like that.
“I think it’s wrong, in general terms, to talk bad about our incredible world that is allowing all of us to grow. And that’s the only thing that I will say is not right,” he said.
“But, I always listen. Prudency. There is an evolution, evolution of driving. It means that the best driver will be able to be the fastest.”
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