Australian Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz leads Ferrari one-two in Melbourne, Mercedes well off the pace
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Updated 08/04/2022 at 09:14 GMT
Ferrari were last on pole position at the Australian Grand Prix in 2007, but could that be about to change this weekend? The Scuderia cars set the pace in first practice at a new-look Albert Park circuit on Friday, while Mercedes’ early-season woes continued with another disappointing display. FP1 also saw Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel make his return after missing the opening two races.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
Image credit: Getty Images
Ferrari continued their excellent start to the 2022 season as Carlos Sainz produced the quickest time in first practice at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard’s time of 1:19:806 saw him better team-mate Charles Leclerc by +0.571s as Ferrari signalled their intent for the weekend with an impressive one-two.
Only Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen could keep within a second of leader Sainz, with Mercedes’ struggles continuing at Albert Park as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, five places ahead of team-mate George Russell.
Sainz, who has finished on the podium in each of the opening two races this season, will be hoping to take his first pole position of 2022 in Melbourne.
The Scuderia cars looked at home on a new-look Albert Park track which has undertaken a partial overhaul ahead of the visit of Formula 1 for the first time since 2019.
With more winding straights and fewer chicanes on a track renowned for limited overtaking, it is hoped that the circuit will provide greater entertainment over the course of the weekend.
Elsewhere in the pack, home favourite Daniel Ricciardo finished eighth with a time of 1:21:155, while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, racing for the first time this season after missing the opening two races due to Covid-19, was 13th fastest overall.
The German, who was last on pole in Australia in 2013 when driving for Red Bull, then entertained the crowd by driving round on a moped following the conclusion of first practice.
He admitted before the action commenced that linking up with the rest of the grid at the Australian Grand Prix felt “a bit like arriving late for school”, adding that he was expecting an “exciting and unpredictable” race on Sunday.
His return to the track was cut short, however, as reliability issues with his car caused first practice to be temporarily red-flagged.
Second practice is due to commence at 7:00am UK time.
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