Australia – FP1: Rosberg ahead of Hamilton and Bottas

From the beginning of the session, several drivers hit the track for an installation lap at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. History will remember that the Toro Rosso and Ferrari were the first cars to take to the track.

The first benchmark time is set by Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes at 1:31.319. The German improves on the next lap with a 1:29.557, already faster than the times recorded during last year’s first practice session. Meanwhile, Manor Marussia has confirmed that it will not take part in this session, while the Sauber team’s cars have not hit the track after 20 minutes of practice.

At the end of the first half-hour of testing for the season, all drivers on track make a pit stop to return their set of tires to Pirelli. Nico Rosberg leads the field with a time of 1:29.557 ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Mid-session, Lewis Hamilton sets two of the three best sector times but falls short by 29 thousandths from his teammate. Sebastian Vettel is third, nearly two seconds behind the Mercedes, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, Carlos Sainz Jr, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas, and Max Verstappen. Still no sign of the Saubers on the track, yet Marcus Ericsson is already in his car, helmet on.

This weekend, Max Verstappen will become the youngest driver in history to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix. A challenge that doesn’t scare the young Dutchman who places his Toro Rosso in third position thanks to a lap completed in 1:31.067. Moments later, Carlos Sainz Jr regains the advantage over his teammate by 53 thousandths.

While Romain Grosjean has not yet completed a single lap, Pastor Maldonado improves his best time and places his Lotus in sixth place. Valterri Bottas, on the other hand, has reduced the gap with Mercedes to 1.2 seconds by taking third place.

Ten minutes before the end of the session, the Toro Rosso drivers are the most active on track with 20 laps for Carlos Sainz Jr. and 19 for Max Verstappen. McLaren announced on its Twitter account that it will not return to the track during this session due to a mechanical issue with its engine block.

The session ends with the best time from Nico Rosberg at 1:29.557. The Silver Arrows confirm they still have a significant lead over the competition as Lewis Hamilton is second and has more than a one-second lead over the third man, the Finn Valtteri Bottas. Carlos Sainz Jr is fourth ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Felipe Massa, and Kimi Räikkönen.

Australian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: