What were the full Formula 1 practice results for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix?

The 2026 Australian Grand Prix practice sessions featured competitive performances from Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, with shifting lead positions across the three sessions.

## Practice 1 Results
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) topped the opening session with a time of 1:20.267, leading a Ferrari one-two ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton (+0.469s)[3][4]. The Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen (+0.522s) and Isack Hadjar (+0.820s) finished third and fourth respectively[3][4].
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) ranked sixth, over a second back from the leader[4]. A notable incident occurred early in the session when Max Verstappen was kept in the garage for almost half of FP1 due to a technical glitch that caused him to stop at the pit lane exit[3].

## Practice 2 Results
The competitive order shifted dramatically in the second session. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) set the fastest time of 1:19.729, with Mercedes securing a strong showing through Kimi Antonelli (+0.214s) in second and George Russell (+0.320s) in third[2][3].
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) finished fourth, just 0.321s adrift of Piastri[3]. Notably, Hamilton was the only driver to finish both Friday sessions in the top four[3]. Max Verstappen improved to sixth place (+0.637s), though he remained six tenths off the pace[3].

## Practice 3 Results
George Russell (Mercedes) topped the final practice session, with the grid taking shape ahead of qualifying[7].
These sessions demonstrated strong competitiveness from Mercedes and Ferrari, with McLaren also showing pace through Piastri's FP2 performance. Red Bull appeared to struggle with reliability and pace issues throughout the weekend's early running.