Several teams spent the session ironing out a variety of technical issues as the first track running of the 2026 regulations got underway.

Both Ferraris built on their encouraging pre-season form, leading much of the session. Leclerc set the benchmark with a 1m20.267s, finishing four tenths clear of Hamilton and half a second ahead of Max Verstappen.

Defending constructors’ champions McLaren, however, endured a difficult start to the weekend.

Home hero Oscar Piastri’s session lasted just three minutes before he stopped on track with a power issue, with the Melburnian able to return to the pits before heading back out on track close to 20 minutes later after repairs.

His teammate Lando Norris also reported power-related concerns in the early stages, with both drivers telling the team their McLarens “didn’t feel right”.

Piastri was ultimately able to complete the session, ending sixth fastest after logging 19 laps. Norris, however, spent most of the hour in the garage as McLaren carried out what the team described as “precautionary gearbox checks”.

The reigning world champion managed just seven laps and finished 18th on the timesheets.

Despite the early setbacks, Piastri showed flashes of speed late in the session, setting the fastest first sector on one lap before dropping more than a second away by the end of the lap.

Verstappen’s new Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar led the session for large portions of the opening half and ultimately finished fourth.

He was followed by impressive rookie Arvid Lindblad, who completed his first practice session as a Formula 1 full-timer in fifth.

It marked a strong recovery for the Briton, who stalled his Racing Bulls car while exiting the pitlane at the beginning of the session, bringing out a brief Virtual Safety Car in the process.

One driver whose issues were too severe to even get out on circuit was Fernando Alonso, who sat out the session after Aston Martin confirmed a suspected power unit problem had prevented the Spaniard from completing any running.

His teammate Lance Stroll added to the team’s woes, finishing the session dead last after completing just three installation laps and ending a whopping 29 seconds behind Hamilton’s fastest time, underlining Aston Martin’s struggles heading into the weekend.

The Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth respectively, with the Audi duo of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg rounding out the top ten.

Hulkenberg had the honour of becoming the first driver to hit the track in anger in 2026, with the Audi emerging first from the pitlane as the new season officially began.

Despite the technical gremlins affecting several teams, the session itself remained largely incident-free as drivers explored the limits of the new machinery.

Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez each had off-track moments during the hour, with Colapinto coming closest to trouble when he ran wide at Turn 3 and briefly dipped into the gravel before continuing.

Sainz’s Williams teammate Alex Albon was also forced off track late in the session with a hydraulic issue, pulling over at Turn 10 and climbing from his car with 12 minutes remaining.

Teams will now analyse the data gathered during the opening practice before returning to Albert Park for Practice 2 at 4pm AEDT.