Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on top in FP2 session before the F1’s Australian GP 2025, setting a 1:16.439s to lead by only 0.124s Oscar Piastri the home hero, his teammate Lando Norris finished a fraction further back in third.
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A Session of Mixed Fortunes
The session started with most of the drivers heading out on medium tyres, gathering data for the race rather than pushing for simulating a qualifying pace. Only Mercedes put George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli on hard tyres, in order to test their race strategy for Sunday.
Traffic became an issue early on, foreshadowing potential problems in qualifying. While Lando Norris had a close call with Liam Lawson, which also frustrated Charles Leclerc by creeping on to the racing line.
A red flag was avoided after Hulkenberg ran off the track into the gravel but managed to get his car back on track. Meanwhile, Haas were still working on Ollie Bearman’s car after his crash during FP1, leaving the him stuck in the garage all session.
The Soft Tyre Shake-Up
Halfway through FP2, teams started to use soft tyres, and that’s when the times really started to decrease. Norris was briefly the fastest, but Leclerc responded quickly by taking P1 and hinting at Ferrari’s potential strong pace.
Behind him, Piastri made his home crowd proud by setting a time good enough for second position, while Norris made it a McLaren 2-3, once again proving that the papaya team is in the fight.
Red Bull on the Back Foot?
It was a completely different story at Red Bull. Max Verstappen finished the session in seventh, behind both Racing Bulls – Yuki Tsunoda (P4) and rookie Isack Hadjar (P6). Mid-session Max had to return to the pits to make a suspension change, hinting that the RB21 isn’t quite where they want it to be yet. After Verstappen’s dominance in qualifying in Albert Park over the past two years, it’s hard to imagine Red Bull not bouncing back, but for now, they appear to be lagging behind.
Looking Ahead
With rain in the forecast for Sunday, teams are preparing for an unpredictable weekend. Right now, it looks like Ferrari and McLaren have the strongest one-lap pace, but Red Bull have a habit of turning things around when it matters most.
With FP1 topped by a McLaren and FP2 led by a Ferrari, the battle for pole promises to be thrilling.
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F1 FP2 Australian GP 2025 | Featured Image courtesy of EverythingF1.com