Lando Norris tops first Australian GP F1 practice as Alex Albon crashes out.
Lando Norris was the man to beat in first practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
22 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the opening practice session for the Australian Grand Prix as Williams driver Alex Albon crashed out. Norris headed a tight session with just over three-tenths covering the top 10. The McLaren driver’s 1m18.564s put him top of the order, 0.018s ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Verstappen would have beaten Norris’ lap had it not been for a wide moment at the high-speed Turn 9-10 chicane. The reigning world champion wasn’t the only one to find that chicane difficult with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell all having moments of their own.

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas had a dramatic 360-degree spin at the same corner, but managed to keep it out of the barrier, only damaging his new soft tyres. Albon was less fortunate as he shunted his Williams at Turn 8 after hitting the kerb awkwardly. His Williams was completely damaged, causing a red flag stoppage for approximately 10 minutes.

‘Lando Norris was the man to beat’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104581...on-crashes-out


Australian GP: Free Practice 1 Results
Full results from Free Practice 1 from the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
22 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 22 1:18.564
2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 18 1:18.582 0.018
3 63 George Russell Mercedes 20 1:18.597 0.033
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 21 1:18.599 0.035
5 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 26 1:18.621 0.057
6 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 22 1:18.642 0.078
7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 25 1:18.667 0.103
8 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 22 1:18.686 0.122
9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 19 1:18.771 0.207
10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 24 1:18.918 0.354

‘Full results from Free Practice 1’;

https://speedcafe.com/australian-gp-...ice-1-results/


How Norris edged messy and red-flagged Australian GP FP1
Mar 22, 2024
by Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Alex Albon suffered a heavy crash in a surprisingly dramatic and tight opening Australian Grand Prix Formula 1 practice session that featured several near-misses and was topped by Lando Norris.

ONE TENTH COVERS EIGHT CARS: Following the Albon red flag, FP1 resumed with just under 10 minutes remaining, at which point Norris was fastest with barely a tenth of a second covering the top six. Norris didn’t go quicker, but remained on top as the mistakes persisted. Lewis Hamilton was straight over the grass and gravel at Turn 1 on a flying lap on used softs, picking up a bit of understeer on entry that turned into a quick slide at the apex.

Next to breathe a sigh of relief, back at Turn 10, was Max Verstappen. The world champion had a small bit of instability through Turn 9 but stuck with it then understeered slightly through the right hander, running across the exit kerb and dipping a wheel into grass and even slightly the gravel. His Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez’s efforts to improve late on were thwarted by a big lock-up that sent him deep into the penultimate corner.

‘Messy and red-flagged Australian GP FP1’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/h...ralian-gp-fp1/


Melbourne FP1: Norris tops eventful session as Albon crashes
22/03/2024 at 02:45
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Lando Norris topped an action packed first practice for the Australian GP in Melbourne, the McLaren driver leading an incredibly tight session marked by a red flag triggered by a big crash for Williams’ Alex Albon. Norris edged championship leader Max Verstappen, with Mercedes’ George Russell in third, but mistakes and drivers running wide were the norm in the 60-minute workout.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Rb’s Yuki Tsunoda rounded off the top five, but the spread among the top seven runners was just 0.103s, which boded well for FP2 later today. The F1 field was back to its regular contingent of drivers, with Carlos Sainz reporting for duty after his painful bout of appendicitis a fortnight ago that forced him to miss most of the Saudi Arabian GP weekend.

With less than a minute to go, RB’s Yuki Tsunoda popped up to third behind Norris and Leclerc, but just 0.057s off the McLaren driver’s best, confirming the extremely tight spread. However in the dying seconds, a final shift among the frontrunners saw Verstappen and Russell slot into second and third, pushing Leclerc and Tsunoda down to fourth and fifth.

‘Melbourne FP1’;

https://f1i.com/news/503073-melbourn...n-crashes.html


Max on P2 after first free practice Down Under
22 March 2024
Florence Cobben
Verstappen.nl

Max Verstappen has finished the first free practice for the Australian Grand Prix in second. Lando Norris was the fastest man of the session, George Russell put his Mercedes on P3, with Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top five. It was a session on the more difficult side for the drivers, with several trips through the grass and gravel. The practice was also interrupted with a red flag, caused by Alexander Albon losing control of his Williams.

With just eight minutes left, the session is resumed, and the drivers can once again take to the track. Everyone is pushing to exit the pits. Hamilton shoots through the grass but manages to drive on. Max makes a mistake in turn eleven, cutting his lap short. His last attempt secures him second place. Norris is the fastest man of the session. Russell closes the practice in third, with Leclerc and Tsunoda rounding out the top five.

‘First free practice Down Under’;

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5410/


2024 Australian GP FP1: Alonso avoids the barriers after taking to the gravel in first practice
22 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Fernando Alonso was pushing hard in first practice for the Australian Grand Prix and even went over the limit midway through the session when he ran wide at Turn 10 and took a trip through the gravel trap, but managed to keep his car out of the wall.

‘2024 Australian GP FP1’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...544020262.html