Max Verstappen quickest in eventful opening practice session for Australian GP

The first practice session for the weekend's Australian Grand Prix was not without drama. From drivers going off track to the performance differences in tyres, there was enough information to suggest that the rest of the weekend would be very good.

Expectedly, the two Red Bulls were quick on track, with Max Verstappen setting a 1:18.790 and Sergio Perez just over 0.5 seconds slower. Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes-AMG split the two Bulls.

However, Perez's time was set on the Medium tyre, whereas Verstappen and Hamilton have done so on the Softs. The early suggestion is that Perez could be better positioned for the rest of the weekend, given that he settled into a rhythm quicker than his teammate.

Also, the Medium tyre is slightly slower than the Softs, and Perez still has performance in the pocket.

?? FP1 CLASSIFICATION ??Max Verstappen finishes on top in an action-packed FP1 in Melbourne! ????#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/VTahnRhkUL

Eventful session

The opening practice session was not without event. Drivers ventured off the track more times than they'd like, and navigating traffic was a nightmare for all.

One of the big moments was Verstappen spinning out. With the session resuming after a brief red-flag period, the Red Bull driver lost his car on the curb at the exit of Turn 4. Explaining in colourful language that his tyres were done, he returned to the pits.

Moments later, the Williams of Logan Sargeant pulled off to the side of the track in Sector 3, with Race Control red-flagging the session again and calling time on FP1 with a few minutes to spare.

The second practice session takes place at 07:00 SA time.