McLaren delivered an impressive turnaround across the first two practice sessions of the Australian Grand Prix 2026 at Albert Park, showing strong pace in FP2 after a difficult start in FP1.
Good points
Oscar Piastri topped FP2 with a lap time of 1:19.729, delivering an excellent performance on home soil and demonstrating strong single-lap pace.
Both McLaren cars looked quick during qualifying simulations in FP2, showing a clear improvement from FP1 where the team had been running in the midfield due to early issues.
Piastri's home advantage also appeared to help with confidence and setup development, contributing to the team's strong second-session performance.
The team also showed resilience by bouncing back quickly despite technical problems earlier in the day.
Bad points
FP1 proved challenging for McLaren. Lando Norris completed only seven laps due to gearbox issues, limiting valuable running time and data collection.
Piastri also reported power delivery inconsistencies early in the session, which briefly affected his track time.
Additionally, McLaren did not appear as strong during FP1 long runs compared with Ferrari and Red Bull.
Overall
After recovering strongly in FP2, McLaren appear to be genuine contenders this weekend, provided reliability issues do not resurface during qualifying or the race.