McLaren returned to the top of the timesheets during the second free practice session of the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, with home favourite Oscar Piastri setting the fastest lap of the afternoon at the Albert Park circuit.
The Australian driver managed to place his McLaren ahead of the two Mercedes cars, finishing around two tenths clear of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and three tenths ahead of the British duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari’s drivers also remained close to the front, confirming that the competitive gaps among the leading teams are extremely small at the start of the new Formula 1 season.
Between Mercedes and Ferrari, McLaren managed to emerge as the fastest team of the session. The reigning world champions, a team that perhaps received less attention than expected during the winter break, reminded everyone of their strength by returning to the top of the standings in the second practice session in Melbourne.
Oscar Piastri, a true idol for the Australian crowd, delivered the lap that placed him at the top of the classification. However, despite the encouraging performance, the driver who finished third in the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship showed a realistic and measured approach when speaking after the session.
Piastri: “We are aiming for the front rows”
Speaking to Sky Sports at the end of the session, Oscar Piastri explained that while the start of the weekend had been positive, there were still several aspects of the car that needed improvement before qualifying and the race.
“The weekend started decently,” Piastri said. “FP2 went much better than FP1, but there are still many things to fine-tune. Everything is very different compared to last year.”
The McLaren driver highlighted that the session ran smoothly overall and that the team was able to find a good level of consistency with the car during the longer runs on track.
“The session went quite smoothly, and we managed to find good consistency. Now we are trying to evaluate what we learned today, but I think everyone will make a good step forward tomorrow and we will have to try to improve as well.”
Despite finishing at the top of the FP2 standings, Piastri remained cautious about McLaren’s chances of fighting for pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session.
“We hope to be able to fight for the front rows, even if I’m not sure we can do it for pole,” the Australian admitted.
The 2025 championship bronze medallist also suggested that the race pace situation remained unclear, as the teams were still running different programmes and fuel loads during the practice sessions.
“I haven’t seen what the situation is with the race pace, but I’m not sure it’s as good as some of our rivals. The main objective now is to build some consistency.”
With qualifying and the race still ahead, the competitive picture in Melbourne remains open. While McLaren showed strong pace during the second practice session, both Mercedes and Ferrari appear close enough to challenge for the top positions once the teams reveal their full potential.
Oscar Piastri’s performance in FP2 shows McLaren’s championship pedigree, yet his grounded comments suggest the team is bracing for a fierce fight against Mercedes and Ferrari. As the grid prepares for a massive step forward in Saturday’s qualifying, the focus at Woking will be on turning that Friday raw pace into a sustainable advantage for the race.
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