2024-03-22 16:07:38
Melbourne (AFP)
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc of Monaco and British McLaren driver Lando Norris set the fastest time during the two free trials for the Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the Formula 1 World Championship, held at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
Leclerc established himself as the fastest in the second period by recording 1:17.277 minutes, 0.381 seconds ahead of Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, the world champion for the past three years, who also settled for second place behind Norris in the first period (1:18.564 minutes).
Verstappen (26 years old) collided with one of the bumps late in the first period, and caused damage to the floor of his car, so his team repaired the faults at the beginning of the second, in the presence of 124,000 viewers, which is a record number, who accompanied the tests in Australia.
The Dutchman, who started from first place in Australia last year, came out to the track, 22 minutes after the start of the second period, and struggled behind the wheel of his car equipped with medium-soft tires, before using softer livery and moving ahead in the lead times.
Verstappen dominated the first and second rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and in Australia he is seeking to achieve his tenth successive victory to equal his record, which he set last year.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who returned to the circuit after missing the Saudi Grand Prix after undergoing surgery due to appendicitis, achieved a good result by occupying third place behind his colleague Leclerc and Verstappen, noting that he had recorded the eighth fastest time in the first period.
Canadian Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso, world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, who damaged the lower section of his car, which required it to be replaced in the first period, completed the top five positions.
Mexican Sergio Perez, the second Red Bull driver, disappointed hopes by finishing eighth, similar to the British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, who finished eighteenth and was the only one who failed to improve his time compared to the first period, as he complained that “there is Something went wrong” within a second.
Thai Alexander Albon was unable to participate in the second period, after he was involved in an accident in the first after losing control of his Williams car and crashing into the wall 20 minutes before the end.
The accident prompted the organizers to display red flags for approximately 12 minutes, to make room for the damaged car to be evacuated and the track cleaned of remaining pieces of debris.
Williams later announced that he was using the floor of the car of his second driver, American Logan Sargent, to repair Albon’s car to enhance his chances of winning points, which would prevent the latter from participating in the qualifying trials on Saturday and the race on Sunday, with the British pit car sharing with one car.
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