Hauger leads Hadjar by 0.001s in Melbourne F2 practice

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Dennis Hauger topped Formula 2 practice in Melbourne by just one thousandth of a second over Isack Hadjar.

There was an early red flag after Amaury Cordeel locked up into the first corner gravel trap, where he then turned left towards the barriers and got stuck, bringing an early end to his session.

When the action resumed, Victor Martins when fastest by 0.074 seconds ahead of ART Grand Prix team-mate Zak O’Sullivan, with Prema pair Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman slotting into third and fourth.

The track evolved quickly, with Gabriel Bortoleto then going quickest by 1.3s, before he and Hauger traded top spot several times.

Antonelli, one of three drivers experiencing the Albert Park track for the first time, had a brief spell at the head of the times with 17 minutes remaining. That came just after team-mate Bearman, returning to F2 machinery after his Formula 1 debut in Jeddah, had a moment in turn 6 and did well to stay out of the gravel and the barriers.

Hauger then returned to first place with a time of 1m29.654s, almost half a second clear of the field.

Hadjar gradually improved his times in the latter part of the session, joining Hauger in the 1m29s when he climbed above Antonelli into second place with eight minutes remaining, before falling just 0.001s short of the benchmark inside the final five minutes.

A second red flag effectively ended the session with three minutes remaining after Rafael Villagomez spun through turn 1 and struggled to get going again.

Free practice results