Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fourth and eighth fastest respectively come the end of the first free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit.
45 laps. Charles and Carlos ran the Soft tyre throughout the session, as the Monegasque got to grips with the track and Carlos was back in the car for the first time since the second free practice session in Saudi Arabia, on Thursday 15 days ago. Leclerc lapped in 1’18”599 and Sainz stopped the clocks in 1’10”363. The session was red flagged for ten minutes when two thirds of the session had been completed, after Alex Albon crashed. Towards the end, Carlos improved to 1’19”061 and then 1’18”686, while Charles ran a heavier fuel load in race configuration, completing 22 laps, with Carlos doing 23.