The Australian Grand Prix is only two days away, but the practice sessions on Friday have already generated a good deal of drama. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was also damaged in the big crash involving Alex Albon, which might mean that Williams will only have one car for Sunday’s race.
Following Verstappen’s floor damage in the first practice session, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the second session in Melbourne, leading the Dutchman by 0.381 seconds.
Albon damaged his car in the first session when he crashed into two walls in the fast-paced first sector. Despite this, the driver is still eligible to compete on Sunday.
But Williams doesn’t have a spare chassis, so they won’t be able to run both drivers if Albon’s car needs to be replaced. Logan Sargeant was cruelly pulled out of the race for no fault of his own.
Lewis Hamilton gives damning Mercedes assessment
Following a P18 finish in FP2, Lewis Hamilton said he has never felt less at ease in the W15 than he does right now.
After a poor start in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Hamilton begged Mercedes to make significant changes to his car, but they did not have the desired effect.
“Clearly, I’m not feeling well,” Hamilton admitted to Sky Sports. “I think it was one of the worst sessions I’ve had in a long time.
“P1 felt pretty good all around. The car felt better than it had ever felt, especially [on] P1, run one. And from there, it only grew worse.
“After that, I made a few significant adjustments… or it was difficult when we made some significant changes to P2.
“There are positives from that P1 run that we did, but after that session, I feel the least confident I have ever felt with this car.”
Alex Albon crash forces awkward call
It’s possible that Williams will only have one car for Sunday’s race because of Alex Albon’s crash in free practice.
He crashed into two walls in the first sector’s high-speed crash, possibly breaking his chassis to the point where a replacement is required.
Williams might have to limit their racing to one car, though, as they do not have a spare chassis in Melbourne.
The team is then faced with making a difficult decision regarding which driver to give the car to. One to watch out for…
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