In Melbourne this Friday, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin posted the quickest time in the second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix. Yet the session offered a stark reminder that weather can dominate even the most carefully planned schedules. The track remained treacherously wet for much of the time, catching many by surprise and making Saturday and Sunday’s prospects more uncertain for everyone involved. Carlos Sainz, driving for Ferrari, also set a strong pace, placing fifth on the timing sheets, keeping him just ahead of Sergio Perez of Red Bull who finished a touch behind in the overall standings.
Alonso, the double world champion from Asturias who had climbed onto the podium in both of the season’s initial races, completed thirteen laps before a shower interrupted proceedings. He clocked a best time on the medium compound at Albert Park, a lap of 1 minute 18.887 seconds, edging Charles Leclerc of Ferrari by 0.445 seconds and leaving Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who leads the event standings, 0.615 seconds behind. Verstappen also set his best effort on the middle tire in this challenging session as he aimed for a third consecutive title, a goal that remains firmly on his radar ahead of the weekend’s events.
Sainz, who had finished fourth in the world championship last season, attempted a familiar run by repeating the Australian circuit layout with several laps in the books. However the timing was not on his side and he did not complete the full program with a full fuel load. His best lap finished at 1 minute 19.695 seconds, placing him eight tenths off Alonso and about a second behind Verstappen, who remained the pace setter in this phase of the weekend. The session’s conditions also kept teams cautious, with a heavy reliance on balance and tire management as the rain forced strategic calls between the short and middle compounds.
Checo Perez emerged as a strong contender in Jeddah two Sundays prior, battling for wins and podiums as he collected championship points. In this Australian setup, he completed 15 laps, just one more than his teammate, and managed to accumulate valuable data despite not crossing the finish line on soft tires during the most demanding moments. His pace in the middle package placed him behind the leaders in terms of overall time, yet his experience and pace in long runs kept him squarely in the conversation for Sunday’s race. Perez’s performance adds to a narrative where both Red Bull drivers are pushing hard to restore momentum after a recent stretch that tested the team’s consistency on fast circuits.
Session temperatures were notably cooler than anticipated, with ambient readings hovering around minus 16 degrees Celsius and surface temperatures near 24 degrees before the rain began to fall again. The overall rhythm of the session carried an unusual tension as drivers navigated the slick track and tested different aerodynamic configurations that could translate into competitive advantages when the race eventually starts. The opening stretches of Albert Park, including the tricky first corner and the long run down to the mid sector, presented a stark reminder of how even a small misjudgment could cost valuable tenths in a field that is as tight as this one. Alonso and the British driver Lando Norris, who races for McLaren, found themselves in a session that felt more exploratory than dramatic, with the focus on extracting useful data while preserving the car for the upcoming critical moments of the weekend.
Looking ahead, the third free practice session is scheduled for Saturday, just before the qualifying rounds that determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race. Teams plan for a substantial 58 laps to complete the 306.1 kilometer circuit, a workload that keeps engineers and drivers busy as they fine tune balance, tire strategies, and fuel loads to maximize performance under the evolving conditions of race day.