(Motorsport) Formula 1 returned to Albert Park for the first time since 2019 and Charles Leclerc finished fastest in Final Practice Two ahead of World Champion Max Verstappen while Mercedes’ woes continued. As things stand, Ferrari seems to be faster than Red Bull but Verstappen has the experience of getting results as an underdog, which might play into his favour on Sunday. 

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the fastest lap in FP1 but Leclerc posted a time of 1:18.978,  two-tenths quicker than Verstappen in FP2 while Sainz finished second. Surprisingly, Fernando Alonso’s Alpine was third ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was sixth. As for Mercedes, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished 11th and 13th while Mercedes-powered McLaren had a relatively better day, finishing 8th and 10th. 

Both Ferrari and Red Bull implemented small upgrades to their cars ahead of the Australian Grand Prix while Mercedes were one of the two teams that didn’t make any improvements. Despite experiencing porpoising, Ferrari had the pace to post the fastest laps in both the final practice sessions so far while Mercedes struggled once again. 

Hamilton said “Nothing you change on the car makes a difference at the moment, that's the difficult thing. You get very optimistic, and you make changes, and then it doesn't seem to be wanting to improve. It's just a tricky car." As for Red Bull, the new upgrades haven’t done enough and they looked off the pace compared to the Championship leaders, more so than the first two races. Time will tell if they manage to secure a win in Australia but as things stand, Ferrari are the favourites for the win.

Also read: Formula 1: What are the problems affecting Mercedes this season?