Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was the fastest in the second practice session for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. Leclerc, who previously achieved great success at this venue in 2022, posted a time of 1:17.277s on the Soft compound, finishing 0.381s ahead of his competitors. Carlos Sainz, who had returned after his appendicitis operation, lagged behind his teammate, with Max Verstappen splitting the Ferraris. Only 19 drivers participated in the practice hour due to Alex Albon’s crash in FP1, which ruled him out of the session. Williams faced a challenge as they had no spare chassis, raising doubts about Albon’s participation in the weekend. Verstappen also faced some setbacks as Red Bull had to change the floor on his car. However, he still managed to clock the second-fastest time. Lance Stroll, aiming for a recovery after a crash in Jeddah, had a minor setback but ultimately led his teammate Fernando Alonso on the timesheets. Several drivers struggled with the circuit, including George Russell who had a moment at Turn 1. Despite this, he finished sixth fastest overall. Sauber brought upgrades and Zhou Guanyu finished 11th, followed by Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. Logan Sargeant in the remaining Williams had a spin and an excursion through the gravel. Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing performance, finishing 18th and expressing his concerns over the team radio. Kevin Magnussen was the last driver to set a time in FP2, using the Medium tyre instead of the Soft.
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