Leclerc ended FP2 0.245s clear of reigning world champion Verstappen as Ferrari continued its strong start to the weekend in Melbourne, wi💦th the Monegasque posting a new benchmark time on a 1m18.978s. 

The early 2022 championship leader is the only driver so far to have dipꦦped below the 1m19s mark around the Albert Park track, which has been modified for F1’s rꦆeturn to Australia after an enforced two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Albert Park has been made ♉faster through the removal of the previous Turn 9-10 chicane, while several corners have been widened in a bid to enable more overtaking opportunities and improve racing at the circuit. 

It looked as thoughও Ferrari would again finish 1-2 in second practice as Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz traded fastest laps for much of the session, only for Verstappen to split the pair in his𓂃 Red Bull with a late improvement. 

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was 0.559s off the pace as h♐e set the fourth-best time fo💞r Alpine, a tenth clear of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. 

Esteban Ocon ensured both Alpine cars finished inside the top six as the last driver to get within a second of Leclerc’s sesꦛsion-leading time. 

Valtteri Bottas put his Alfa Romeo sevent💞h, while both McLaren cars finished ins♕ide of the top-10 with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo separated by AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.

Tricky afternoon for Mercedes 

George Russell was the highest-placed Merce🅠des driver in 11th, some 1.2s off the pace as the German manufacturer’s difficult start to the season looks set to continue iꦍn Australia. 

Teammate Lewis Hamilton ended up behind Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTaur💞i and could only manage a time good enough for 13th, a further three tenths behind Russell. 

The seven-time world champion, who has claimed pole pౠosition at every Australian GP since 2014, took a trip through the gravel at Turn 12 at one stage as one of several drivers who ran off-track during another𝓰 action-packed session. 

Hamilton has also been summoned✤ t♓o see the stewards for an alleged impeding incident involving Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll in FP2. 

Mercedes has not brought any new parts to its car to Melbourne as it continues to struggle with porpoising and balance issues, though it is expected to introduce upgradesౠ at the next round in Imola. 

Further down the order, Kevin Magnussen, who has been struggling with illness which forced him to skip Friday morning’s media duties, finished 𒐪16th for Haas, two places and seven-tenths clear of teammate Mick Schumacher. 

Williams’ Nicholas Latifi was the slowest driver to set a lap time as he finished over three seconds of🍃f the pace. 𒐪;

Sebastian Vettel, makꦛing his return after missing the first two races of the season with COVID, did not take part in second practice due to Aston Martin carrying out an engine change following his FP1 stoppage.