2025 Australian Grand Prix FP2 report and highlights: Leclerc sets the pace ahead of Piastri and Norris during second practice in Australia

There were further incidents as the session got underway; Nico Hulkenberg ran over the gravel trap at Turn 6 in his Kick Sauber, prompting the German to return to the pits for a floor check, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was another driver to make an excursion into the gravel later on.

After Leclerc led a Ferrari 1-2 from team mate Lewis Hamilton, following the initial runs on the medium tyre, the order started to change as most of the pack bolted on the soft compound for some fast laps, leading to Yuki Tsunoda briefly slotting his Racing Bulls challenger into P1 before being displaced by Norris on a 1m 16.580s.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from FP1 in Melbourne as Hamilton debuts for Ferrari, Bearman crashes and Norris tops the times

Just past the halfway mark, Leclerc returned to the top with his effort of 1m 16.439s – putting him four-tenths clear of Hamilton – while Max Verstappen lost some time in the garage during the final segment of the session as Red Bull worked on a set-up change, the Dutchman sitting in P7 on the timesheets.

Leclerc’s benchmark time kept him in first place as FP2 drew to a close, with Piastri 0.124s behind in second ahead of McLaren team mate Norris in third. Tsunoda and fellow Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar were fourth and sixth in an eye-catching session for the team, while Hamilton slotted between them in fifth.