Charles Leclerc, from Monaco, piloted the Ferrari SF-24 car. On March 22, 2024, during the third stage of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Australian Grand Prix took place at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia. This was the practice day for the event. Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and George Russell were the top three drivers in the free practice session. Norris set the fastest lap time, with 1:18.564s around the Albert Park circuit. The session was highly competitive, with six drivers finishing within a tenth of a second of Norris’s benchmark time. Verstappen finished second, just 0.018s behind Norris, while Russell secured third place. Leclerc, Tsunoda, Perez, and Stroll closely followed in fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh place, respectively. Carlos Sainz, who returned to Formula 1 after missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finished eighth. Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri completed the top ten. Throughout the session, several drivers encountered difficulties and went off track, but it was Alex Albon who had the most significant incident. He crashed heavily at Turn 8, causing substantial damage to his Williams car and ending his session prematurely.
