Red Bull star Max Verstappen posted the fastest lap ever around Albert Park in the final practice session on Saturday, but teammate Sergio Perez struggled to keep his car on the track.
Verstappen clocked 1:17.565, faster than Charles Leclerc’s lap of 1:17.868 that claimed pole position at last year’s grand prix, while Fernando Alonso was also sharp, posting a 1:17:727.
Max Verstappen showed off his speed in Saturday’s final practice session.Credit:Getty Images
But Perez managed just 18 laps, locking up and spinning off the track a number of times.
Turn one proved the biggest handful for drivers in the final practice session before qualifying later on Saturday afternoon, but Perez complained of balance issues throughout the hour-long session, before finishing with the sixth-fastest lap with just minutes remaining.
Australian Oscar Piastri posted the 14th fastest lap, albeit just shy of 13th placed Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, while Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris was 20th of 20, completing just 12 laps in the session.
The Aston Martins impressed with both drivers posting top-five times, while George Russell (fourth) and Carlos Sainz (seventh) were also prominent.
It was an eventful session, with traffic causing a few issues and light rain towards the end of the session forcing teams to call it quits early. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 4pm on Saturday.
More to come
