Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin driver, topped the wet second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix on Friday, after Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 world champion, was the fastest in the first session. Alonso rushed out of the garage before the rain started to record a lap time of 1:18.887, approximately half a second faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, finished third ahead of George Russell from Mercedes, although caution was prioritized over speed under these conditions.
Lewis Hamilton, who had the second fastest lap in the first session, only managed to secure 13th place in the second session, spending most of the time in the garage as engineers attempted to fix an issue with his car. Verstappen and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz nearly collided amidst the congested track before the rain began, but Lando Norris was the first to feel the effects of the weather when he slid off into the grass and gravel at Turn 1 with his Aston Martin.
Verstappen dominated the eventful first session, recording a time of 1:18.790, which was about half a second faster than Hamilton in second place. The sessions were halted twice, with the first interruption occurring in the middle due to a GPS failure, which organizers stated rendered teams unable to track car positions and speed differences. The red flag was raised a second time for several minutes when Logan Sargeant, a Williams driver, stopped on the grass beside the track due to what appeared to be an electrical issue.
Sargeant did not leave the Williams garage to complete a lap in the second session. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished third, while Alonso placed fourth. Verstappen ended the first practice with some drama, spinning at Turn 4 and damaging his tires. Leclerc and Sainz finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while McLaren's Lando Norris placed seventh. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly finished eighth ahead of Russell. Australian driver Oscar Piastri from McLaren was 12th in the first practice and 14th in the second session. Kevin Magnussen of Haas, the slowest of the 20 cars in the first practice, slid into the gravel, as did Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri at high speed.
