Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne

Image source, Getty Images

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc headed the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton in fifth place.

Leclerc was 0.124 seconds quicker than Piastri, who edged Norris by 0.017secs. Hamilton was 0.420secs behind his team-mate on his debut for Ferrari.

Yuki Tsunoda's Racing Bull was the midfield interloper in the top order in fourth, and his rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar was in sixth, also ahead of Max Verstappen in the senior Red Bull team.

The world champion looked to be struggling. His best time was set on the medium tyre - he aborted his soft-tyre qualifying simulation run when he took three bites trying to turn into Turn Three and ran wide on the exit.

Read the full report here

Image source, Getty Images

Is it shaping up to be Ferrari versus McLaren for the first pole position of the season tomorrow?

Maybe with a surprising sprinkle of one, or maybe two of the Racing Bulls towards the upper parts of the top 10?

One thing we can be certain of is it's another very early start on Saturday morning, so set your alarms for a 01:15 GMT check-in.

Third practice and qualifying is forecast to be roasty toasty at Albert Park, before the cooler temperatures arrive and rain makes an appearance for Sunday's 58-lap race.

If you're heading off to work, have a great day. If you're like us and going to bed now, sleep tight.

See you again tomorrow!

Image source, BBC Sport

The first Q&A of 2025 - which lots of you sent in questions for - is up to read now.

This week's Q&A touched on the Russell-Verstappen dynamic, the expectation on Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and the introduction of an extra mandatory pit stop for Monaco.

You can send your thoughts in to to us for F1 correspondent Andrew Benson to answer during the season using the link here

11. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

12. Alex Albon (Williams)

13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

14. Jack Doohan (Alpine)

15. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

17. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

18. Gabriel Bortoletoo (Sauber)

19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

20. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator in Melbourne

Do you know what they call Isack Hadjar in the French media? Le petit Prost. That's not a bad nickname to have.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:16.439

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.124

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.141

4. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +0.345

5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.420

6. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.580

7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.624

8. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.722

9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.840

10. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.843

Image source, Reuters

Last week, we asked BBC Sport users to select how you thought the drivers' championship would finish, from 1-20.

The poll closed on Thursday and Lando Norris just came out on top in terms of who would win the title, ahead of Max Verstappen.

The Ferrari duo of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were predicted to finish third and fourth respectively.

The top six using the average order from the poll was:

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

6. George Russell (Mercedes)

Head here for the full 1-20

Animal alert. George Russell has to swing his Mercedes out of trouble after locking up at the final corner but just on the other side of the grass, a group of ducks, or geese, or some type of bird, is waddling past. If anyone knows the word for a pack of ducks/geese, let me know.

Nico Hulkenberg is starting a new challenge in his career with the Audi-owned Sauber team, but he is very much carrying on where he left off last year by putting himself among the top-10 drivers. The German is eighth on the timesheets, just one spot below the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Rookie Isack Hadjar is even quicker, placing his Racing Bulls car sixth on the board.

Image source, Getty Images

Good news on the radio front - we'll be hearing exclusive commentary from the 5 Live team for at least the next three seasons.

BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds have secured exclusive F1 UK radio rights up until the end of 2027.

Former world champion Damon Hill has signed up to the team, while Jennie Gow and Rosanna Tennant continue as presenters and pit lane reporters,

Harry Benjamin will serve as the lead commentator with Ben Edwards also working on selected races. Other voices will include Formula E driver Sam Bird, former W Series driver Alice Powell and Marc Priestley, a former McLaren race mechanic.

5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website will broadcast live race commentary, including qualifying and practice sessions.

Someone else who is watching on from the garage is Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion has put in the seventh fastest time in this second hour and now Red Bull are making a few set-up changes to his car before heading back out.

Image source, Getty Images

With 15 minutes left of second practice and qualifying runs complete, it's time to put those soft tyres to bed and pull out the mediums once again for a bit of long running.

The only driver without a time on the board is Ollie Bearman, who is still sat in the garage waiting patiently to come out in his patched-up Haas.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:16.439

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.124

3. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.141

4. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +0.345

5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.420

This is not the start to his full Formula 1 debut Oliver Bearman would have wanted. Haas are almost finished with their repairs but the clock is ticking down for the Briton to get out and collect some valuable data before tomorrow's opening qualifying session.

Over at Alpine, the other home driver in Melbourne, Jack Doohan, asks his pit wall to check the floor of his car after he skims the gravel and throws up a heap of dust at the exit of Turn 10.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

All of the practice sessions and then qualifying tomorrow afternoon, we expect to happen in conditions similar to this - hot, dry, blue skies above us, the track getting faster. On Sunday there is a very high risk that we might be inundated with rain. So all of the learning that is happening may mean almost nothing when we are faced with a very wet track on Sunday.

The Aussies would love a home winner on the podium and in Oscar Piastri they might just have a driver who can finally deliver that champagne moment. The McLaren man can't beat Charles Leclerc's quickest time, but he can go within 0.124 seconds of it to go second on the board.

I can spot an Aston Martin doing a great impression of a lawn mower as Martin Brundle on Sky Sports describes the action down at Turn Nine.

Is Charles Leclerc looking a safe bet for pole position tomorrow? The Monegasque driver has put his Ferrari top of the pile with a 1:16.439 on the softs. Lewis Hamilton is still four tenths off his new team-mate as he sits fifth on the timesheet.

Image source, Getty Images

Rosanna Tennant
5 Live F1 reporter in Melbourne

Haas told me that they were going to make it out for FP2 but they have had to replace the engine and gearbox on Oliver Bearman's car. As things stand, the car is up on the jacks, the wheels are off, the rear is off, the front end is being looked at by the mechanics. There are pipes attached to the car, there are machines all close to the car. It's a bit like an intensive care unit. They are still hoping Bearman can get out but at the moment they look some way off.

Oscar Piastri has a short stay in third place on the timesheets but the home driver is quickly down to fourth, as team-mate Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc both better his marker. Norris is the fastest man on track on the softs now, clocking a time of 1:16.580.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is struggling to handle the Red Bull in Melbourne. The Dutchman is down in 10th spot, 0.897 seconds off the pace.