MELBOURNE (AFP) – Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso went quickest ahead of Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc in a rain-interrupted second practice at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday, with defending world champion Max Verstappen third.
The Spanish veteran followed up his podium finishes at the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by topping the Melbourne timesheets.
He powered around the bumpy Albert Park circuit under darkening clouds and before rain fell in a best time of one minute 18.887 seconds among his 13 laps, bettering his fourth place in the first one-hour session.
Leclerc, who won in Australia last year, came an encouraging second after Ferrari’s early season reliability and pace issues, nearly half a second adrift but ahead of Verstappen.
