Round three of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship commenced with practice on Friday at the Albert Park Circuit, as teams prepared for Sunday’s fifty-eight lap Australian Grand Prix. The event marks Formula 1’s return to Australia, following two years of cancellation due to the pandemic.
Kevin Magnussen came into Free Practice One feeling a bit under the weather, as he had been battling a bout of nausea overnight. Magnussen recorded eighteen laps sampling both the Medium and Soft tyres. His best time of a 1:23.186 which was set on the softs, put him in eighteenth position at the end of the opening session.
Magnussen did improve in Free Practice Two. The Dane completed twenty-three laps with his best time of a 1:21.191 on the soft compound once again, leaving him in sixteenth position.
Magnussen looked back on a difficult day for himself and the Haas F1 Team, with his full attention now on qualifying tomorrow.
“I didn’t feel great when I woke up this morning but we still managed to get some laps in and get a feel for the car. Hopefully I’ll be a bit better tomorrow, build from there and have a good qualifying again. It looks like we have a bit of work to do on the low-fuel balance whereas high-fuel balance seems more in the window, so that’s the focus.”
“We had a few issues here and there” – Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher came into Free Practice One well rested and energised, following his horrifying crash during qualifying in Saudi Arabia. Schumacher used the Hard compound to start the opening day before switching to a set of softs. He completed 15 laps in the session with his best lap being a 1:24.349, leaving him in twentieth position.
Like his teammate, Schumacher also improved in Free Practice Two, completing twenty-two laps and logging a 1:21.974 on the soft compound. His best effort left him in eighteenth position, as both drivers wrapped up the session with high-fuel runs, gaining further valuable data ahead of Sunday’s race.
Schumacher found the circuit amazing to drive, despite experiencing some issues during the opening day.
“It’s a great track, a flowy track and it’s quite quick so it was interesting to drive. We had a few issues here and there and we’re still trying to figure it out and be 100 percent sure with What we have as an issue but we’re getting there and tomorrow will be better.”
