What the teams said – Friday in Australia

Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix saw a mixed bag of fortunes across the F1 grid. McLaren's Oscar Piastri delighted home fans by topping FP2, despite initial power unit and gearbox issues for both him and Lando Norris in FP1. Mercedes showed strong pace in FP2, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli (P2) and George Russell (P3) impressing, though Russell received a reprimand. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc led FP1 but dropped back slightly in FP2. Red Bull faced challenges as Max Verstappen encountered a pit lane stop, a gravel excursion, and a damaged floor in FP2. The new Kick Sauber team and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad showed promising pace, while Williams, Alpine, and Aston Martin grappled with reliability concerns. Cadillac, making its debut, had a challenging start with Sergio Perez experiencing significant issues.