Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished the first day of running of the new Formula 1 season in first place after Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Australian was 0.214 seconds quicker than Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, whose team-mate George Russell was third fastest ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was sixth fastest ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and the 18-year-old British rookie Arvid Lindblad, who had an impressive first day in F1 for Racing Bulls.

Aston Martin, the story of the weekend so far as a result of major problems with their Honda engine, had a better session after only managing three laps in first practice.

Fernando Alonso was able to do 17 laps after missing the entire first session because of vibration problems with his engine but was 4.933 seconds off the pace.

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Great to have your company again, folks. Can't believe we're back racing again.

The pecking order seems to be as you were with the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull near the front of the field. Who will claim pole position for the season-opener on Sunday? Hard to know who to put your money on.

Tomorrow we get to see how the drivers cope with the demands of energy deployment and recovery in a qualifying setting, which should be very interesting.

We'll be back in the middle of the night on Saturday to take you all through it, so join us at 01:15 GMT for build-up to third practice, before the pole fight at 05:00.

See you soon!

George, we'll be here all weekend, next week for the Chinese Grand Prix and then again for the race in Japan, so if the sleepless nights are still causing you bother, come hang out with us.

What did you make of this first Friday under the new regulations then? The gravel got a lot of attention today, and the top four of Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are only separated by 0.321 seconds.

How will Aston Martin get on in qualifying on Saturday? It's been a trying day for the team and boss Adrian Newey has said the dire start to the season has left Fernando Alonso in a "hard mental place". Yikes.

George: I’ve been up all night with a sleep-regressing 10 month old. Last time this happened was during the Ashes, this time it’s the Aus GP. Its like she knows…so glad of something to keep me company in the small hours!

11. Olver Bearman (Haas)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)

13. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)

15. Alex Albon (Williams)

16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

17. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

18. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)

20. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

22. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:19.729

2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.214

3. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.320

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.321

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.562

6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.637

7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.065

8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1.193

9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.212

10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1.450

Two minutes to go of the opening Friday of the season and we've witnessed a few reliability issues that will keep teams busy tonight in Melbourne.

Put a pin in Turn Three as a potential headache for drivers this weekend - Charles Leclerc is rhe latest driver to find himself in the gravel in his Ferrari.

Sergio Perez can only watch on as the marshals push his poorly Cadillac away from the track and back to the safety of the garage. The American team are under no illusion they'll probably be at the back of the field in their debut season but these little issues won't be helping their cause.

Yellow flag - Perez stopspublished at 05:55 GMT 6 March

05:55 GMT 6 March

Oh dear. Sergio Perez has come to a halt by Turn 12 and the Cadillac driver will need roadside asstance from the marshals.

And now Charles Leclerc turns his Ferrari into a lawnmower and cuts a nice chunk of grass out of the Albert Park circuit.

Sergio Perez has been released from the garage but the Cadillac driver has the start of his lap interrupted by the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.

Woah! Max Verstappen goes wild at Turn 10 after his Red Bull oversteers, sending him thrashing on to the gravel. The Dutchman avoids crashing into the barriers but the floor will definitely need an inspection. That was a close call for Verstappen.

Uh-oh. If you're name is Lance Stroll, you're not going to like this radio message from Aston Martin.

"Box box. We have an issue," says the Canadian's engineer.

The two McLarens are running quite close to each other but it looks like Lando Norris is readying himself for another push lap. The world champion crosses the line but his car doesn't move up the order and stays seventh.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris has completed his first flying lap on the soft compound and he goes seventh on the board, over a second off McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Sergio Perez is still stuck in the Cadillac garage - will the Mexican driver make an appearance in FP2? Time is not on the American team's side.

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:19.729

2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.214

3. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.320

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.321

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.562

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, like a few other drivers before him, reaches Turn Three and suffers a heavy lock-up and ends up running across the gravel. This corner is definitely one to watch for Saturday and Sunday.

Max Verstappen has switched to the soft compound but the Dutchman can only manage sixth on the timesheets, over sixth tenths away from oscar Piastri best marker on the same rubber.

The Audi of Nico Hulkenberg has moved up to 11th spot after a fast lap on the soft compound. Hulkenberg claimed his maiden podium last year at Silverstone, and Audi have been tipped to be a decent midfield outfit in 2026, so watch this space.

Over at McLaren, world champion Lando Norris is down in 15th place but is yet to go for a flyer. His team-mate Oscar Piastri, though, is fully charged for lap and goes top on the softs with a 1:19.729.

Image source, Getty Images

The only driver yet to put down a marker is Sergio Perez, who is waiting patiently in the Cadillac garage while his mechanics work on a sensor issue with his car.

Mercedes are leading the way and are closely follwed by the two Ferraris of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in third and Charles Leclerc in fourth.

Rookie Arvid Lindblad is doing a fine job so far in his debut practice sessions in Melbourne. The Brit teenager - he's only 18 years old - is now sixth on the timesheets, five places higher than his team-mate Liam Lawson.

Italian Kimi Antonelli has managed to pull out 0.106 seconds on his team-mate George Russell and now leads the field on the soft tyre with a 1:19.943.

Russell has just had a trip onto the gravel after locking up at Turn Three. He manages to dig himself out of any danger and is quickly back on his way to finish the lap.

Image source, Getty Images