Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, right, with teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Image: AFP
Rumours that Ferrari might be top gun this season is slowly materialising. This, after both Ferraris put up a solid display during practice ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Expectations were already high following a promising winter for Scuderia Ferrari, and the Italian outfit wasted no time reinforcing that narrative during the opening practice session at the Albert Park Circuit.
In Free Practice 1 for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc set the benchmark with a lap of 1:20.267, comfortably topping the session and putting early pressure on the rest of the grid.
Close behind him was Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who finished 0.469 seconds adrift of his teammate to make it a commanding Ferrari one-two.
Behind the scarlet cars came the familiar threat of Max Verstappen in third for Red Bull Racing. Youngsters also impressed early, with Isack Hadjar placing fourth and rookie Arvid Lindblad rounding out the top five.
The opening session suggested Ferrari’s strong preseason testing pace was no illusion, with the SF-26 appearing well balanced around the fast, flowing Melbourne street circuit.
Hamilton in particular looked comfortable in his new machinery, immediately slotting in just behind Leclerc and showing the kind of pace Ferrari hoped for when the seven-time world champion made his high-profile switch.
However, the competitive order shifted slightly when the grid returned to the track later in the day for FP2.Home hero Oscar Piastri thrilled the Melbourne crowd by topping the second session for McLaren with a fastest lap of 1:19.729.
The Australian edged out the impressive rookie Kimi Antonelli, who continued to underline his potential by finishing second for Mercedes. Teammate George Russell completed the top three, highlighting the Silver Arrows’ strong one-lap pace.
Ferrari, meanwhile, remained quietly competitive. While neither Leclerc nor Hamilton topped the second session, both drivers stayed firmly within the leading group as teams began shifting their focus toward qualifying simulations and race-run data.
Across the two sessions, Leclerc once again appeared to have the slight edge over his decorated teammate. The Monegasque driver’s FP1 benchmark remained one of the standout laps of the day, while Hamilton continued building familiarity with the Ferrari package and steadily matching the pace of his younger teammate.
For Ferrari, the early signs in Melbourne are encouraging. The team has shown the raw speed many predicted after preseason testing, while the Hamilton-Leclerc pairing already looks capable of consistently placing both cars near the front.
For now, though, the timesheets are only practice. The tifosi can now only hope both Ferraris shine when it truly counts during Saturday’s qualifying session. Both Tifosi and myself wouldn't mind seeing a few Ferrari dominated years, just as Red Bull and Mercedes have enjoyed prior.