Zürcher Nachrichten - Piastri tops final Melbourne practice ahead of Russell

EUR -
AED 4.194728
AFN 79.135652
ALL 98.128179
AMD 437.431503
ANG 2.043934
AOA 1047.840832
ARS 1348.472656
AUD 1.76881
AWG 2.057149
AZN 1.940945
BAM 1.951925
BBD 2.300403
BDT 139.213599
BGN 1.955728
BHD 0.430499
BIF 3391.485168
BMD 1.142067
BND 1.465941
BOB 7.900314
BRL 6.480069
BSD 1.139273
BTN 97.296822
BWP 15.293038
BYN 3.728512
BYR 22384.522701
BZD 2.288526
CAD 1.56855
CDF 3272.02326
CHF 0.934218
CLF 0.02795
CLP 1072.58406
CNY 8.227796
CNH 8.220122
COP 4739.785634
CRC 578.256964
CUC 1.142067
CUP 30.264788
CVE 110.046508
CZK 24.868463
DJF 202.883403
DKK 7.460099
DOP 67.13729
DZD 150.33829
EGP 56.726399
ERN 17.131012
ETB 155.30485
FJD 2.57228
FKP 0.842999
GBP 0.844525
GEL 3.129644
GGP 0.842999
GHS 11.677814
GIP 0.842999
GMD 82.228943
GNF 9872.743968
GTQ 8.749628
GYD 238.346775
HKD 8.958172
HNL 29.683066
HRK 7.534562
HTG 149.139116
HUF 402.967663
IDR 18627.463297
ILS 4.029722
IMP 0.842999
INR 97.585384
IQD 1492.156495
IRR 48109.5925
ISK 144.358421
JEP 0.842999
JMD 181.900439
JOD 0.809751
JPY 163.347058
KES 147.612111
KGS 99.873771
KHR 4555.135499
KMF 496.233422
KPW 1027.790451
KRW 1574.259891
KWD 0.350147
KYD 0.949237
KZT 582.813137
LAK 24605.685321
LBP 102081.051807
LKR 341.269897
LRD 227.27875
LSL 20.436871
LTL 3.372229
LVL 0.690826
LYD 6.210859
MAD 10.488176
MDL 19.66456
MGA 5169.961654
MKD 61.5416
MMK 2397.656518
MNT 4085.663396
MOP 9.203095
MRU 45.116005
MUR 52.089551
MVR 17.656563
MWK 1975.538215
MXN 21.952439
MYR 4.854193
MZN 72.989582
NAD 20.432586
NGN 1805.16305
NIO 41.928222
NOK 11.545143
NPR 155.674916
NZD 1.902748
OMR 0.439107
PAB 1.139238
PEN 4.123014
PGK 4.678874
PHP 63.57428
PKR 321.223665
PLN 4.255829
PYG 9103.205041
QAR 4.164232
RON 5.056503
RSD 117.169264
RUB 90.1734
RWF 1639.459295
SAR 4.283997
SBD 9.53714
SCR 16.760724
SDG 685.813567
SEK 10.904345
SGD 1.470144
SHP 0.897486
SLE 25.947852
SLL 23948.584366
SOS 651.11295
SRD 42.542336
STD 23638.49111
SVC 9.966336
SYP 14848.950151
SZL 20.428976
THB 37.165725
TJS 11.39268
TMT 4.002947
TND 3.388373
TOP 2.674836
TRY 44.751252
TTD 7.735186
TWD 34.243184
TZS 3077.589759
UAH 47.480708
UGX 4148.762848
USD 1.142067
UYU 47.326037
UZS 14569.330606
VES 108.321132
VND 29750.857978
VUV 138.004125
WST 3.154017
XAF 654.674375
XAG 0.03343
XAU 0.000339
XCD 3.086494
XDR 0.814219
XOF 654.677236
XPF 119.331742
YER 278.492736
ZAR 20.408277
ZMK 10279.98042
ZMW 30.46844
ZWL 367.745264
  • RYCEF

    0.2300

    11.88

    +1.94%

  • RBGPF

    3.5700

    69

    +5.17%

  • CMSC

    -0.1400

    22.08

    -0.63%

  • SCS

    -0.1250

    10.18

    -1.23%

  • CMSD

    -0.0482

    22.07

    -0.22%

  • RIO

    0.1700

    59.58

    +0.29%

  • NGG

    0.4800

    71.9

    +0.67%

  • RELX

    0.6600

    54.57

    +1.21%

  • VOD

    0.0600

    10.4

    +0.58%

  • BCC

    -1.5000

    85.12

    -1.76%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    12.95

    +0.15%

  • BCE

    0.4950

    22.28

    +2.22%

  • BTI

    0.2400

    45.39

    +0.53%

  • GSK

    0.6350

    41.66

    +1.52%

  • BP

    0.4900

    29.58

    +1.66%

  • AZN

    -0.9000

    71.93

    -1.25%

Piastri tops final Melbourne practice ahead of Russell
Piastri tops final Melbourne practice ahead of Russell / Photo: Paul Crock - AFP

Piastri tops final Melbourne practice ahead of Russell

McLaren's Oscar Piastri edged Mercedes' George Russell in an ultra-competitive third and final practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, with Lewis Hamilton eighth in his Ferrari.

Text size:

Australia's Piastri, who won two races last year, flew round his home Albert Park circuit on soft tyres in an eye-catching one minute 15.921 seconds.

That was enough to pip the Briton by just 0.039sec.

World champion Max Verstappen was third with Red Bull appearing to have ironed out the grip issues that caused the Dutchman to complain on Friday.

Verstappen, who took pole position in Melbourne last year, is chasing a second win in Australia after his 2023 victory to kickstart his bid for a fifth consecutive world title, a feat achieved only by Michael Schumacher.

But it was a horror session for his Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson, who took over from the axed Sergio Perez.

Lawson failed to post a time after power issues on his first lap sent him back to the garage.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli fifth ahead of Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

Hamilton, a two-time Melbourne winner, finished eighth as he continues to adapt to life at Ferrari with a different car, team and power unit.

RB's Yuki Tsunoda was ninth with Piastri's teammate Lando Norris a disappointing 10th, but just six-tenths of a second separated the top 10.

On a muggy day, with temperatures forecast to reach 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) before a cool, wet change on Sunday, struggling Haas rookie Ollie Bearman was the first out on medium tyres.

It soon turned to disaster, with the Briton skidding into the gravel on his first lap after his wheel touched the grass bringing out the red flag.

Bearman was unable to continue leaving Haas ruing whether they had made a mistake in signing the 19-year-old who had smashed into the barriers in first practice on Friday.

His car was left in such a mess that he could not go out for the second session so has so far managed to complete only 13 laps ahead of qualifying later Saturday.

When the action resumed nine minutes later, his Haas teammate Esteban Ocon put the first time on the board.

But that was quickly toppled by Alpine's Jack Doohan, with Verstappen then Piastri lowering it substantially on soft tyres.

The benchmark kept tumbling and at the halfway point it was Verstappen, Antonelli, Piastri, Leclerc and Norris.

Leclerc and Hamilton clocked flying laps to challenge Verstappen before Russell surged to the top of the timing sheets with 20 minutes left.

Verstappen asserted control again before Piastri became the first to dip under 1min 16sec and could not be caught as he aims to become the first home winner of a Formula One GP in Australia.

Norris and Leclerc topped the Friday practice sessions.

Ch.Siegenthaler--NZN