Norris tops opening F1 practice in Australia after big Bearman crash

Lando Norris has topped the first practice session for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne after a big crash for Oliver Bearman at the super-fast Turn 9-10. Bearman, starting his first full-time season with Haas, lost control of his car exiting the second part of the chicane, with a snap of oversteer sending him over the gravel. The Briton kept his foot in and briefly looked to have saved his first soft-tire lap until the car bottomed out on the lip between the gravel trap and the tarmac. A raised bit of grass run-off then tipped the car into a spin, sending it backwards into the barriers, where it made heavy contact with both right-hand corners. Bearman emerged from his wrecked car unhurt. Red flags were flown for 12 minutes to clear the circuit and collect debris, leaving just over 10 minutes on the clock for the rest of the hour-long session. Lando Norris, who hadn’t yet bolted on the soft tire, took his opportunity, and by his sixth lap on the fastest compound he’d taken top spot with a best lap of 1m17.252s. The time was an improvement of around 1.3s quicker than last year’s corresponding FP1 time. Carlos Sainz was a remarkable second-fastest for Williams, the Spaniard having rocketed to top spot shortly before Bearman’s red flag and clinging on until Norris’s late bolter. The Spaniard was 0.06s quicker than former teammate Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver was 0.209s off Norris’s pace, but set his time almost 25 minutes earlier in the session — a potentially significant difference given the high grip evolution on the public roads of Albert Park. Oscar Piastri was fourth and 0.418s off his leading teammate.   An unfortunate crash for Ollie Bearman brings out the red flag Bearman is ok and heading back to the garage#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/GxnoqnLKAk — Formula 1 (@F1) March 14, 2025 Max Verstappen was 0.026s behind the Australian after wrestling his Red Bull Racing car around the circuit, including a skim of the gravel trap at Turn 6. Alex Albon completed the top six for Williams, 0.461s off the pace and 0.312s slower than teammate Albon. George Russell had an unusual off at Turn 4 after dropping a wheel on exit and spearing off the road. The Mercedes driver came perilously close to nosing the barriers, but the tarmac run-off saved him any damage, and he was able to rejoin the session. Isack Hadjar said he hadn’t maximized the soft tire despite leading the way for Racing Bulls in ninth ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 10th. Yuki Tsunoda was 0.2s slower than teammate Hadjar on his way to 11th in the order. Lewis Hamilton’s first grand prix session for Ferrari ended in 12th and 0.819s off the pace. The Briton complained that his car wasn’t turning through the hour, leaving him 0.61s behind teammate Leclerc. Jack Doohan was Alpine’s quickest driver, finishing 13th despite some early flirtations with the stones. One of his minor offs contributed enough gravel to the track to cause a red flag for cleaning, suspending the session for around five minutes. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old Mercedes rookie, was 14th ahead of fellow new started Gabriel Bortoleto, who took Sauber to 15th. Liam Lawson’s first Red Bull Racing session almost came to a rapid halt when he brushed the barriers at turn 9. His RB21 survived the light impact to get him to an eventual 16th. Pierre Gasly was 17th in the second Alpine ahead of Haas driver Esteban Ocon and the crashed-out Oliver Bearman.