Sunny weather in this first free practice session, in which the teams had to familiarize themselves with the new layout to understand if Melbourne will actually be a low downforce track as thought.
Ferrari at the top of the timesheets of these FP1s: Sainz in first position, the Spaniard with a 1:19.806, followed by Leclerc half a second with a 1:20.377, Perez with 1:20.399 and Verstappen 1:20.626, all with compound C5 (red rubber). The McLarens did well with Norris in fifth, followed by Ocon, Hamilton and Ricciardo in eighth position; Top 10 that ends with Alonso and Bottas.
The activity on the track was immediately frenetic, with Perez's car covered with 'rakes' at belly level to monitor the aerodynamic flows of the RB18. The Mexican was also red-flagged mid-session due to debris left on the main straight.
Ferrari, which after some problems in the first ten minutes with the fixing of the front wing to the Spanish driver's F1-75, equipped with laser sensors to measure the variations in height from the ground, managed to finish the session on top, demonstrating the excellent work done in Maranello in preparation for this Grand Prix. The red confirms its effectiveness in the slow corners, faster by 6 tenths in the third sector compared to the red Bulls. Mercedes that seems quite fit thanks to a good race pace simulation by Lewis Hamilton, seventh, ahead of his teammate who takes only the 12th time.
Aston Martin in trouble, with Sebastian Vettel who has just returned after recovering from Covid, finds himself stopped at the side of the track due to engine problems, which will cause the second and final red flag of the session. Stroll is in 16th position.
Alfa Romeo in tenth with Bottas and 15th with Zhou, while Alphatauri is 11th with Tsunoda and 14th with Gasly
Bad Haas in last position with Schumacher, and third from last with Magnussen. Before the start of free practice, the Danish driver complained of stomach aches and nausea. Williams always in trouble: Albon 17th and Latifi penultimate.
