Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in practice in Melbourne, setting the stage for Saturday afternoon's Australian Grand Prix qualifying session. The McLaren driver clocked a best time of 1:15.921, just 0.039 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, showcasing his impressive pace.
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03-15, 2025Piastri has been performing strongly this weekend, securing the fourth and second fastest times in Friday's two practice sessions, respectively. He and teammate Lando Norris both appear to have strong potential to contend for pole position, adding an element of excitement to the upcoming qualifying session.
Meanwhile, British rookie Oliver Bearman's miserable weekend was compounded by yet another incident that ruined his practice session. On Friday, Bearman crashed early in the first practice session, damaging his car and preventing him from returning to the track for the remainder of the day, impacting his preparation significantly.
His Haas car suffered extensive damage, requiring the team to fit a new engine, turbocharger, exhaust system, motor generator unit-heat, and motor generator unit-kinetic. Formula 1 has limitations on the number of new parts that can be used in a season, and exceeding the limit results in grid penalties. Having to use new parts after the first day of the season puts Bearman and Haas behind their rivals, impacting their overall performance.
In an effort to gain more laps before qualifying, Bearman ran into the gravel trap on his first flying lap on Saturday. The looks of despair on the Haas team's faces indicated their pain and disappointment at yet another mistake from the 19-year-old driver, highlighting the pressure and challenges he faces.
