Max Verstappen set the pace in an action-packed Practice 1 at the Australian Grand Prix.
The opening half an hour was somewhat serene at Albert Park, during which the Red Bull driver posted a 1m18.790s to lead by four-tenths of a second.
But as drivers headed out on their second set of tyres, mistakes and traffic galore ensued, the latter as a result of GPS problems that required a red flag to fix.
Shortly beforehand, Yuki Tsunoda narrowly avoided the barriers though did catch some air with a high-speed spin through the gravel at Turn 1.
Despite a huge spin and being sent backwards into the gravel, Tsunoda was lucky to get away with this one! ?#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/M2ZcaDS42o
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2023
Kevin Magnussen also had a spooky moment running wide exiting the fast chicane at Turns 9 and 10.
Otherwise, small errors seemingly resulting from cold tyres were common, such as third-placed Sergio Perez running off track at Turn 3 on his out lap.
And even Verstappen had a strange few laps after the initial red flag, running around slowly before spinning on the exit kerb at Turn 4.
Max Verstappen runs off at the exit of Turn 4 ?
It’s been a challenging opening practice session across the grid! ?#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/o0iOHU0UoU
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2023
This meant improvements were few and far between in the second 30 minutes.
Though Lewis Hamilton did move up to second shortly before a second red flag caused by Logan Sargeant’s Williams shutting down on track, ending the session early.
Behind Perez, Fernando Alonso was fourth for Aston Martin, ahead of the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Lando Norris was another driver to find a clear lap in the chaos to claim seventh. Pierre Gasly finished eighth as George Russell and Lance Stroll completed the top 10 after one of many drivers caught out by traffic issues.
Out heads hometown hero @OscarPiastri for a few laps in front of the adoring Aussie crowd! ✨#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/UDl6WAscgn
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2023
Further down, Alex Albon was 11th for Williams, just ahead of hometown boy Oscar Piastri in his first Australian GP session.
Nico Hulkenberg took 13th, followed by Nyck De Vries and Sargeant. Esteban Ocon was 16th, as Tsunoda’s spin limited him to just 14 laps in 17th.
The two Alfa Romeos rued a late start to their running in 18th and 19th, with Magnussen slowest for Haas.
Lap times for the top 10 can be seen below:
#MaxVerstappen leads after an eventful Practice 1 in Melbourne#F1 #Formula1 #AusGP #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/eppmGVzPHQ
— InsideRacing.com (@INSIDERACINGcom) March 31, 2023