Driver axed mid-weekend in cruel call; legit home podium bid for ...

Productivity in Melbourne must have been unusually low on Friday.

More than 124,000 people skipped work and school to descended on Albert Park for the first day of Formula 1 action at the Australian Grand Prix.

It was a new record for a Friday in Melbourne. For reference, the track recorded an attendance of more than 131,000 people on race day last year.

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The human energy coursing through the parklands track was palpable from early in the morning as Australia’s most important motorsport festival came to life.

“It’s emotional,” said Daniel Ricciardo, returning to the cockpit for his home race for the first time in two years. “It was like a crowd you’d get at a rock concert.

“I think Albert Park and the Aus GP have always done a good job with keeping it full all day.

“You come to watch on a Friday, but it’s not just F1. Now you’re seeing everything: V8s or Porsches of F2 or F3 — a lot.

“It’s good. Aussie motorsport is strong.”

The best part?

On the evidence of the first two practice sessions, the Australian Grand Prix could be up for grabs.

The throngs of skiving punters were treated to two sessions not topped by Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen on a rare off day for the title-winning combination.

Charles Leclerc was the day’s fastest man and — more tantalising still — home hero Oscar Piastri was very impressive over the race simulations.

2024 Formula One Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri in the pits during free practice two. Picture: Mark StewartSource: News Corp Australia

LECLERC TOPS THE TIME SHEET AFTER VERSTAPPEN MISS

Leclerc’s best time of 1 minute 17.277 seconds put him at the top of the time sheet at the end of final practice, besting Verstappen’s efforts by 0.381 seconds.

The Ferrari driver wasn’t immune from the slipping and sliding most others suffered on a blustery day on the dusty public roads, but it looked the most poised through the crucial slower corners.

Important too was that it wasn’t shipping too much time to the more efficient RB20 down the long flat-out sections.

The result was Leclerc in a relatively punchy mood.

“I will say that we are in a better position than the first two races,” he said. “However, Red Bull weren’t pushing yet, so we’ve got to wait and see where their potential is at.

“But we might have our best shot [at getting pole] this weekend since the beginning of the season.”

At a track around which passing isn’t always easy, he was optimistic about his race prospects too.

“The race pace looked quite strong,” he said. “But again, it’s very difficult to compare, because some drivers had a lot of traffic; we had relatively clean laps.

“But it looked quite good. Better that it looks good on Friday than the other way around.”

Verstappen was one such hampered driver, however, albeit through actions of his own doing.

A wide moment in FP1 caused him floor and chassis damage, which in turn cost him running time in FP2, leaving him unable to hone his set up and get the most from his day.

“Unfortunately it was a little bit messy because of what happened in FP1,” he said. “I think Ferrari is quick, but from our side I think there are also a few more things that we can fine tune, so nothing crazy, nothing worrying.”

The two cars are closely matched on race pace, albeit comparing Leclerc with Pérez given Verstappen’s difficulties.

But it could be just the wrinkle the weekend needs to generate some interest in the battle for victory.

MCLAREN STING IN THE TAIL?

There could yet be another twist in what had been expected to be a straightforward Verstappen romp to top spot and the top step.

McLaren looked very competitive over the long-run race simulations during second practice, with Piastri leading the way ahead of teammate Lando Norris.

Long-run averages

1. McLaren: 1:22.924

2. Ferrari: +0.002 seconds

3. Red Bull Racing: +0.097 seconds

4. Aston Martin: +0.303 seconds

5. Sauber: +0.586 seconds

6. RB: +0.754 seconds

7. Mercedes: +0.835 seconds

8. Alpine: +1.011 seconds

9. Haas: +1.308 seconds

10. Williams: +1.192 seconds (softs)

All team bar Williams used the medium tyre for their race simulations.

“We’ve seemed very strong at some points, not as strong at other points,” Piastri summed, giving little away. “It’s going to be interesting to see where we come out.

“I think there are some definite positive signs from today. We’ve just got to try and get it all together, which I think everybody’s struggling with a little bit with the wind.”

But the Aussie noted that qualifying is typically very important at Albert Park given the difficulty overtaking.

Piastri was the quickest McLaren over one lap but was 0.8s off Leclerc’s pace in seventh.

“It’s going to be an interesting Sunday for sure, but qualifying at the front always makes your life easier,” he said.

“I think if we’re a little bit quicker, we’ll be right at the front. If we’re sort of how we were in FP2 over one lap, we’ll be towards the back end of the top 10.

“Hopefully we can make the car a little bit more consistent tomorrow. But when it’s been good it’s been very good today. Positive signs.”

WILLIAMS STUNNER AFTER CRASH GAMBLE

Williams came perilously close to going home to the UK before the weekend really got started - and it sparked a brutal call.

Alex Albon’s big crash at turns 6 and 7 wrote off his car in first practice, with the damage so extensive that he couldn’t take part in second practice.

The team subsequently revealed that it didn’t have a spare chassis this weekend. After working late into the evening, it was revealed Albon’s tub was not salvageable - and that the No.1 driver would thus be taking over Logan Sargeant’s car for the rest of the weekend.

Sargeant himself almost wiped out the entire weekend when he ran off the road at turn 11. He limped back to pit lane and was given the all-clear to continue, after which another off-track moment at the first corner must have had his mechanics and team principal James Vowles holding their breath.

Williams has found itself in this unusual bind because team boss Vowles and chief technical officer Pat Fry spent the off-season attempting to haul the heritage team into the present day by modernising processes and protocols.

Vowles has previously described the team as having been perpetually in survival mode owing to its anachronistic procedures, which in turn sprung from years of underfunding.

But the side-effect was a car that was only barely ready in time. Williams just about got one chassis ready for preseason testing, with the shakedown taking place unusually just a day before the test.

A second chassis was prepared just in time for the first race. Evidently there hasn’t been time enough to prepare a third.

Alex Albon of Thailand and Williams F1 crashes out during FP1 ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 22, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Vowles has said the short-term pain of the off-season — and now quite possibly a one-car entry in Melbourne — will be worth it for the long-term gain.

The regulations allow driver changes before qualifying. Sargeant’s chassis will require an engine and gearbox change, subbing in units from Albon’s pool of parts.

Late on Friday night Sargeant’s car was shifted to Albon’s side of the garage, before the switch was made official on social media.

It is a bitter pill for the American to swallow, but with a potentially unpredictable race on the cards, the team might fancy its chances of scoring this weekend, and there’s no doubt Albon is the better top-10 bet.

“While Logan should not have to suffer from a mistake that he did not make, every race counts when the midfield is tighter than ever, so we have made the call based on our best potential to score points this weekend,” Vowles said.

“This decision was not made lightly, and we cannot thank Logan enough for his graceful acceptance, demonstrating his dedication to the team; he is a true team player.”

Sargeant added: “This is the hardest moment I can remember in my career and it’s absolutely not easy. I am however completely here for the team and will continue to contribute in any way that I can this weekend to maximise what we do.”

HAMILTON SUFFERS WORST DAY OF THE YEAR IN MESSY MERCEDES

Mercedes arrived in Melbourne intending to experiment with its car to try to solve or at least understand the high-speed weaknesses laid so painfully bare in Saudi Arabia.

It was a day of mixed fortunes, to say the least.

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton spent plenty of time running off the track. The W15 looked especially unhappy in the heaviest braking zones, with both drivers spearing off the track at turn 1 and at the high-speed chicane on Lakeside Drive.

Russell was more competitive over one lap, salvaging a sixth place the Briton thinks could’ve been a couple of places higher without some of those characteristic mistakes in the final sector.

Hamilton, however, struggled throughout the day, with the two-time Melbourne winner putting his problems down to some dire set-up choices in the break between sessions that left him scrambling down in 18th and mor than 1.5 seconds adrift.

“I obviously don’t feel great,” he said. “We had one of the worst sessions I’ve probably had for a long time.

“FP1 generally felt quite good — the car actually in P1, run 1, felt the best it’s ever felt — and it just got worse and worse.

“We made some big changes into P2 and it was tough. After that session I feel the least confident I’ve ever felt with this car.”

The unusual bonus for Mercedes this weekend comes with the time zone different to the UK. While Melbourne sleeps, Brackley will be working in the simulator to diagnose where the team went wrong and how it can recover in time for qualifying.

“Every single lap is so valuable,” Russell said of his day of experimentation. “You learn more and more about it and [about] trying to get it into the sweet spot.

“Let’s see what tomorrow brings. When everybody has a night’s sleep and you arrive the next day, it’s often very different.”

WHAT ABOUT STRATEGY?

There’s a further possible twist in the fact that Pirelli has brought softer tyres to this year’s race, potentially opening up more strategic variation.

Ordinarily the Australian Grand Prix is a straightforward one-stop race. The lack of degradation on the 2022-spec smooth surface has meant there’s tended to be little scope for strategy, and the circuit layout hasn’t been conducive to overtaking.

The softer tyres could change that, opening the door to two-stop races that would introduce much more variability.

“I thin this year, with the softer tyres, it’s going to be difficult in the race,” Russell said. “I think it was an easy one-stop in previous years. Seemingly so far that’s not going to be the way.

“It’s very difficult with this P5 tyre, the soft tyre. There’s so much potential there, but it’s difficult to really get that sweet spot.

“Usually this is a qualifying race here in Melbourne, but now — Pirelli has been pretty punchy — I think things are slightly different.”

Combined with the high-risk track layout, with walls ready to punish errant drivers, the race could be set up to be a thriller.

“There’s a lot of corners where — because it’s still a street circuit — you do put it on the edge, and I think obviously you saw Albon have that accident in FP1,” Ricciardo said.

“I don’t think it’s due to track conditions, it’s just due to track characteristics. But the conditions and the grip was pretty good.”

Ricciardo ended the day 12th and 0.346 seconds behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who was 10th fastest.

The Aussie said the positions were representative, with Q3 potentially on the cards and — depending on chaos in the race — points a possibility.

“It was fun to get stuck into it,” he said. “A little bit of work to do tonight, but nothing too crazy.

“There’s always a bit I can improve and a bit of fine tuning with the car, and it should give us a good chance for tomorrow.

“I think we’re still definitely within a shot of Q3.

“With the little long run we did, [race pace] seemed like it’s okay. Let’s qualify in the top 10 and then it’ll all get easier from there.”

- with Max Laughton