Australian Grand Prix FP2 results with Oscar Piastri fastest as George Russell crashes in the pitlane

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Oscar Piastri set the fastest time during FP2 for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix as George Russell tangled with Arvid Lindblad early in the session.

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in a difficult FP1 session earlier in the day, which caused problems for several teams, including McLaren. Lando Norris suffered a gearbox issue that forced him to miss almost half of the session.

Leclerc finished ahead of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, with the pair leading the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar on the timesheets.

The session began with a pit lane incident involving George Russell and rookie Arvid Lindblad. The Mercedes driver attempted to push his way into the fast lane ahead of Lindblad, believing he had priority, but the move resulted in damage to Russell’s front wing.

Unsurprisingly, stewards have noted the incident between the two drivers and will investigate it after the session. In addition, the FIA will examine Franco Colapinto for allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly on the main straight, almost causing a collision with Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion was forced to take avoiding action while on a hot lap, telling his team over the radio: “A car [is] going crazy slow on the pit straight.”

Verstappen also encountered reliability issues early in FP2, with the Dutchman stranded at the end of the pit lane in the opening minutes of the session. Unlike a similar incident involving Lindblad in FP1, he was unable to restart the car and had to be pushed back down the pit lane by marshals.

Cadillac also faced early teething issues in the opening stages of FP2, with Sergio Perez’s car suffering from sensor problems. Despite the disappointing start, Valtteri Bottas was able to get out on track, and the American squad said they were hopeful Perez would also be able to run later in the session.

Fernando Alonso had more positive news after being forced to miss the morning’s practice session due to a power unit issue. The Aston Martin driver was able to head out onto the Albert Park Circuit within the first 20 minutes of running.

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However, like his teammate Lance Stroll earlier in the session, Alonso completed just two laps before returning to the pits. Approaching the halfway mark of the session, Stroll finally put Aston Martin’s first lap time on the board, although it was two seconds slower than Bottas, who sat at the bottom of the timing sheet.

With just 30 minutes remaining, Kimi Antonelli topped the timing sheets ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell, with Leclerc in third. Mercedes appeared to be showing more of their pace during the afternoon session, although a lock-up at Turn 3 sent Russell through the gravel, forcing him to return to the pits for damage checks.

Turn 3 appeared to be catching several drivers out due to the reduction in downforce, with Lewis Hamilton also finding the gravel there just 10 minutes after his former teammate.

After spending a significant amount of time in the pit lane during FP2, reigning world champion Lando Norris returned to the track with a third of the session remaining. The McLaren driver pushed hard on his out lap before beginning his first flying lap as he set his sights on teammate Oscar Piastri at the top of the timesheets.

Williams struggled once again during FP2, with Carlos Sainz spending most of the session out of the car before the Grove-based squad confirmed he would not be back out. Mechanics attempted to shield the FW48 from the cameras while the Spaniard stood outside the garage watching on. The issue followed earlier problems for the team after his teammate, Alex Albon, broke down during FP1.

Verstappen was the next driver to run into trouble, sliding into the gravel after struggling with oversteer between Turns 9 and 10. The Red Bull driver completed a couple more laps before returning to the pit lane.

Piastri came out on top in the second practice session, setting a time two-tenths faster than Antonelli, who finished ahead of his Mercedes teammate Russell. Hamilton and Leclerc rounded out the top five, while Verstappen and Norris were left further down the order.