Summary

  • Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fastest in Australian Grand Prix second practice

  • Team-mate Lewis Hamilton fifth in Melbourne

  • McLaren's Lando Norris was fastest in first practice

  • Oliver Bearman misses session after crash in FP1

  • Select audio icon above for 5 Sports Extra commentary (UK only)

  • Get involved: #bbcf1

Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Good morning

    MelbourneGetty Images

    Hello, everyone. Welcome in to the 2025 Formula 1 season, which is also the 75th anniversary of the sport.

    We'll be on this journey together until the campaign ends on 7 December in Abu Dhabi - 24 races to be exact.

    First practice today gets under way at 01:30 GMT.

    Second practice goes green at 05:00 GMT.

    We left off last year with Red Bull's Max Verstappen winning the drivers' title - his fourth in a row - and McLaren the constructors' champions for the first time in 26 years.

    The 58-lap Australian Grand Prix has reclaimed its spot as the season-opener for 2025. Once Melbourne is ticked off the list, we're off to China next weekend followed by Japan at the start of April.

  2. New beginnings

    Lewis HamiltonGetty Images

    The arrival of spring signifies rebirth, renewal - and the start of a new Formula 1 season.

    Plenty of changes have taken place since the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi three months ago - Lewis Hamilton as a Ferrari driver is now a real thing - and finally we get to see who has what it takes to come out on top in 2025, before the new regulations era is ushered in for 2026 and beyond.

    So what's the first stop on this 24-race tour? We're going down under to Australia...