Oscar Piastri has emerged as the top performer in final practice for McLaren at the Australian Grand Prix, outpacing Lewis Hamilton by over half a second. Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris was also impressive, but could not capitalize on his pace with a mistake in the final sector of his lap.
The top teams, including Ferrari and Mercedes, were closely matched throughout the session, but Piastri’s time of 1:15.921 put him just ahead of George Russell by 0.039s. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen was also within a tenth of a second of the leading time with Red Bull.
Ferrari had looked strong in practice on Friday, but struggled to match their pace today, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and complaining of oversteer. Hamilton’s struggles were also evident, as he blew a final qualifying simulation and left himself almost half a second off the pace in eighth place.
Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli made a solid showing for Mercedes, claiming fifth spot. Carlos Sainz edged out his Williams teammate Alex Albon for sixth place, cementing their status as one of the midfield teams to watch this season.
The session was also marked by a few notable incidents, including an accident involving British rookie Oliver Bearman’s Haas that left him hugely under-prepared for qualifying. Despite this, he will be able to participate in the session with limited practice time due to damage from his previous crash.
Source: https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13328868/australian-gp-oscar-piastri-fastest-in-practice-three-as-lewis-hamilton-only-eighth-ahead-of-qualifying