Fernando Alonso set the fastest time this Friday in the second free practice for the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne, which was not significant, given that for more than half of it was shot in wet conditions – not expected, in principle, neither this Saturday, nor Sunday – and in which Carlos Sainz was registered fifth in the time table.

In the best of his thirteen laps, before it began to rain and it was rolled with intermediates, the double Asturian world champion -third in the championship, after climbing the podium in the first two races of the year- covered, with the medium tire, the 5,278 meters of the Albert Park circuit in one minute, 18 seconds and 887 thousandths: 445 less than Charles Leclerc and with 615 advantage over Max Verstappen -leader of the contest and who aspires to achieve a third title in a row-, who also marked their times with the medium compound.

Sainz -fourth in the World Championship- repeated twelve times the layout of the Australian track, in a test that was of little use and in which not even the runs could be completed with a more loaded tank. On his best lap, also with the middle, he stopped the clock in 1:19.695; eight tenths of Alonso's time, in a second youth with 41 years, and that adds fourteen units less than Verstappen in the general.

Alonso's 'ride'

'Checo', winner two Sundays ago in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and second in the World Championship – with 43 points, just one behind his teammate – did fifteen laps; And in the best of them, which he could not complete, with the soft tyre, he was one second and 196 hundredths of the double Asturian world champion. The Mexican, who in Arabia signed his fifth victory in F1, was registered seventh in the timesheet.

The session was also played at much lower temperature than expected -16 degrees Celsius ambient and 24 on the asphalt, before it began to leak- and in it there were some other 'walks', highlighting those of the Guadalajara driver himself and -in the first of the fourteen corners of Albert Park- as well as those of Alonso and Lando Norris; in a session with little more remarkable.

The third free practice will be held this Saturday, hours before the qualification that will order the starting formation of the Sunday race: scheduled to 58 laps, to complete a route of 306.1 kilometers.

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