Ferrari delivered a generally positive but slightly messy performance during the second free practice session of the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. While there was no cause for alarm, the level of stability and precision that the Scuderia had demonstrated earlier in the day during FP1 was not quite replicated in the afternoon session.
The second hour of practice at the Albert Park circuit highlighted the strong pace of Mercedes as well as the competitiveness of McLaren. Nevertheless, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc continued to complete an important data-gathering programme for Ferrari, working closely with their engineers to refine the setup of the SF-26. As has been the case throughout the opening phase of the season, one of the key technical aspects remains hybrid energy management, an element that is absolutely central to the performance of the new-generation 2026 Formula 1 cars.
Ferrari tests the setup on hard tyres as the SF-26 appears more nervous
For the opening part of the session, both Ferrari drivers headed out on track using the hard compound tyres. This white-banded Pirelli compound had not been used during the first free practice session earlier in the day. The team’s plan involved initially testing the SF-26 on medium tyres during FP1 before switching to soft compounds later, so the second session provided an opportunity to explore the behaviour of the car with the hardest tyre in the range.
During Lewis Hamilton’s first push lap, the tyres were not yet fully up to temperature. This was immediately discussed over the team radio, and the issue was particularly visible in the third sector of the lap, where a noticeable amount of understeer limited the British driver’s performance. However, the situation did not cause any real concern for Hamilton. Using the feedback from his team-mate, Charles Leclerc completed two preparation laps to properly activate the tyres before attempting a faster run.
It is worth noting that the Monégasque driver’s car also appeared somewhat nervous during this early phase of FP2. The SF-26 showed a significant tendency toward oversteer in the first sector, a behaviour that also appeared again in the final sector of the circuit.
For the sake of accuracy, it must also be said that traffic was quite heavy at that moment of the session. Managing the traffic on track, combined with the complex task of optimising energy deployment and recovery, made it particularly difficult for the Ferrari drivers to put together a completely clean lap.
Another interesting detail emerged from Ferrari’s work: the team appeared to be focusing heavily on the engine braking settings. This parameter is particularly important because it plays a key role in the storage of hybrid energy recovered through the powerful MGU-K motor generator.
Shortly afterwards, further confirmation arrived that with the hard tyres the Ferrari SF-26 was experiencing a mild oversteer tendency even during the initial phase of corner entry. There was also an interesting technical detail regarding the power unit: engine revolutions appeared slightly higher than during FP1, while the clipping effect seemed less pronounced than earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton gradually improved his lap times while continuing to refine the handling of the car. His race engineer Carlo Santi later informed him over the radio that the final lap attempt had been completed with the correct level of energy deployment, confirming that the overall energy management strategy had worked as intended. As a result, Hamilton was instructed to return to the pits since the data-gathering phase with the hard tyres had been completed.
The next run would be carried out using the soft compound tyres. Interestingly, Charles Leclerc moved first and switched to the red-banded Pirelli tyres before Hamilton, allowing the team to evaluate how the SF-26’s balance would change with increased grip levels.
Traffic prevents Ferrari drivers from combining their best sectors
During his first attempt on the soft tyres, Charles Leclerc ran slightly wide at Turn 1 and briefly ended up on the grass. He immediately lifted off the throttle and complained on the radio about track position management, suggesting that traffic had distracted him during the lap. His race engineer Bryan Bozzi acknowledged the issue and promised that the team would try to manage the situation better during the next attempts.
After another preparation lap, Leclerc received several pieces of feedback regarding how to manage the car before switching to push mode for a proper qualifying simulation. Both Ferrari drivers were clearly trying to extract the maximum performance from the SF-26.
However, as mentioned earlier, heavy traffic continued to disrupt their runs. It was also still too early to draw clear conclusions about tyre management, but it seemed that both Ferrari drivers had not yet managed to fully maximise the grip offered by the soft compound tyres.
Carlo Santi continued to guide Hamilton with precise instructions, identifying specific corners where improvements could be made. Turns 10 and 11 were highlighted as areas where the British driver could still gain time, even though the third sector remained the part of the lap where he was losing the most time overall.
A few moments later, Hamilton also experienced a brief off-track excursion in the first sector, though the incident caused no damage to the car. Overall, it was a slightly chaotic phase of the session for Ferrari, with both drivers struggling to put together three completely clean sectors.
Even the braking points at Turn 3 became a topic of discussion over the radio, as both Ferrari drivers were advised to pay greater attention when approaching that corner.
Australian GP long run: Ferrari competitive but Mercedes sets the benchmark
For the final part of the session, both Ferrari cars returned to the track to perform race pace simulations using the hard compound tyres. During these runs, the engineers closely monitored the behaviour of the power unit and the hybrid energy deployment with higher fuel loads.
Carlo Santi provided Lewis Hamilton with some useful context during this phase. At the start of the high-fuel runs, the reference lap time set by Mercedes was around the 1:24 range. Shortly afterwards, George Russell lowered the benchmark to a 1:23.5, with a best lap of 1:23.1 before settling into an impressive level of consistency.
Santi also praised Hamilton for the way he managed Turn 5, highlighting how effectively he used the available energy through that section and encouraging him to maintain the same approach.
Once again, however, Turn 3 created difficulties for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc ran wide and ended up in the gravel, which resulted in his lap time being deleted.
The session eventually concluded with the usual practice starts on the grid, an area where the two Ferrari SF-26 cars appeared particularly responsive and agile. Ferrari has often demonstrated strong race starts in the Bahrain pre-season testing session, and this aspect once again looked promising.
The second free practice session offered a clearer picture of the competitiveness of the 2026 Formula 1 cars, although it must be remembered that many teams are still hiding their true pace. Fuel loads and power unit settings remain unknown at this stage of the weekend.
Nevertheless, one conclusion from the 60-minute session seems fairly clear: Mercedes appears extremely competitive both over a single lap and during long-run simulations. McLaren also looks very strong, while Max Verstappen seemed relatively quiet during the session with his Red Bull RB22.
Ferrari, for its part, continued to focus on gathering data, refining the car setup, analysing tyre behaviour and studying energy management. The work was perhaps less smooth compared to FP1, but overall it was still a productive day for the Maranello team.
The Scuderia has collected a large amount of valuable information that will now be analysed overnight, with the clear objective of arriving fully prepared for the next stage of the weekend — when the teams will begin to reveal their true performance levels.
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