F1 2025 has officially kicked off in Melbourne with Lewis Hamilton making his long-awaited Ferrari grand prix debut in Melbourne and McLaren remaining favourite for the championship title.
Many F1 rookies including Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, Haas' Oliver Bearman, Red Bull' Liam Lawson, Alpine' Jack Doohan, Racing Bull' Isack Hadjar and Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto started their F1 season for the first time.
With the first two free practices FP1 and FP2 concluding on Friday, March 14, 2025 here are some highlights from the sessions.
Related: Lando Norris set to face most challenging F1 season with Verstappen, Hamilton
FP1: Lando Norris became fastest on track as Bearman faces crash
The Free Practice 1 for Australian Grand Prix witnessed Lando Norris topping the time sheets with Williams' Carloz Sainz coming right behind.
In Turn 10, the session faced a major incident as Bearman lost control of his Haas and crashed into the concrete wall.
The unharmed British racer could be heard apologising through the radio message for the car.
Additionally, Hamilton ended the session in 12th after "struggling to turn the car," on Melbourne tracks.
FP2: Leclerc on top with Hamilton close behind
For the second free practice, Lewis Hamilton was fifth speediest driver and was 0.42 seconds slower than his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who dominated the track at Albert Park.
The racer was 0.124 seconds ahead of Piastri and 0.017 sec from Norris.
Yuki Tsunoda also improved in 2nd session as he came fourth with his rookie teammate Isack Hadjar in sixth, ahead of former world champion Max Verstappen.
Bearman was not on track as Haas were unable to repair the car before the second session.
Related: F1 president Stefano Domenicali secures 5-year contract extension
Notably, all 10 teams have officially signed their commercial agreements with F1, making them commit to the sport until 2030.
