For the first day on the partially modified Albert Park route in Melbourne - promising more action - the best time went to Monegasque Charles Leclerc in 1 min 18 sec 978/1000, 245/1000 ahead of his announced rival for this season, reigning world champion Verstappen (Red Bull).
He is also 398/1000 ahead of his teammate at Ferrari, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr, who first secured the first time in free practice 1 before being overtaken in free practice 2.
However, confidence is not in order for the Monegasque Leclerc: "today was a little more difficult Friday (...) there is still a lot of work to do", said the current leader.
These results, however, confirm the good form of the Scuderia, at the top of the constructors' classification, which had set aside 2021 to focus on preparing for 2022.
Before this Australian round, the 3rd of the season, Leclerc (45 points) and Sainz (33) are ahead of Verstappen (25) in the general classification.
But the Dutchman, victorious in the last race in Saudi Arabia at the end of March, remains very confident: "We are still a bit behind Ferrari, but I think this weekend we may be able to get a little closer (.. .) We are moving in a good direction."
Behind the trio, Fernando Alonso gave Alpine the 4th fastest time, 559/1000 from Leclerc.
Then follow the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) and the French Esteban Ocon (Alpine).
Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (right) with a member of his team on April 8, 2022 at the Melbourne circuit in Australia Paul Crock AFP
"Overall (it was) a very positive day for the team where both cars finished in the top 10 in both free practice sessions. But we know it all hangs in the balance tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday and we can already see that it will be very tight like in Bahrain and Jeddah", commented the pilot Normand.
Mercedes lagging behind
Behind, the Mercedes of the British Lewis Hamilton and George Russell only managed to get the 7th and 12th times during free practice 1.
And things weren't much better during the second session: if the drivers of the team's reigning world champion constructors improved their respective times, Hamilton plunged to a very modest 13th place, behind Russell, 11th.
At the start of the season, the team is having difficulty managing its single-seater with original aerodynamics.
British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during the first free practice session of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on April 8, 2022 William WEST AFP
"It's frustrating because you always give more, and even when you have a good lap, if you look at the times, we are more than a second behind. We have a lot of work to do to make up for the gap", admitted the seven-time world champion.
This third round also marked the entry into the track of the quadruple champion (2010-2013 with Red Bull) Sebastian Vettel, affected by the Covid and who missed the first two.
But the German was forced to pit early during the first session, due to an engine problem which also caused him to miss the second session.
"The positives are that I felt comfortable quite quickly and we had good balance in the car, too. It's a shame, though, that we didn't do more laps," he said. he explains.
And to assure: "The car will be ready for tomorrow (Saturday) and we will continue to work hard and to progress".
The Aston Martin driver is however currently under investigation by the FIA for "unauthorized use of a scooter on the track": he was seen riding around the circuit on a scooter to return to the paddock , after the first practice session was over, waving to the fans.
© 2022 AFP