F1 Australian GP LIVE: Ollie Bearman crashes again in practice ahead of qualifying – UK Times

The Haas driver has spun into the gravel!

A shake of the head from the Brit in the cockpit….

No surprise who the first and only car out on track is straight away – Haas’ Ollie Bearman!

The British teenager missed second practice yesterday after his crash in FP1, making this a vital session for him ahead of qualifying!

Turns 9 and 10 are stunning at Albert Park!

It’s a big session coming up for the 20 drivers!

On a very warm day here in Melbourne, with temperatures around 31C, the drivers will make their final preparations for qualifying later on with this final hour of practice.

Will it be McLaren and Ferrari at the top? Or will we have a surprise in store…

Lewis Hamilton says he does not expect to be on pole this weekend in Melbourne.

“For me I think it’s a little bit early (to go for pole) as I continue to learn the car, but never say never.

“I will give it everything and (I’m) just not putting too much pressure on. Try and enjoy it. I have some pace to find. I know where to find it. It’s just about going out and doing it.”

“So so. It was a pretty good start to the weekend, we’ve got a good baseline. Not confident with the car in terms of right balance, particularly on low fuel. Similar to Bahrain, bit of a struggle.

“I think we’ll be strong.”

For all his stardust, Lewis Hamilton is not always the easiest interviewee.

When he’s on-form, Formula One’s biggest star is thoughtful and genuine, with the ears of everyone in the room fixed on his words. At times, however, particularly in the last three topsy-turvy years at Mercedes, he can be reticent to speak at all.

On one hand, it was pure elation. A member of the McLaren family for eight years, this meant as much to Norris as anyone else. He described it as a “perfect” end to the season, beating Ferrari to the championship by 14 points. And he’d need no invitation; he was going to get “hammered” later that night over the border in Bahrain.

Yet in the same breath, even amid joyous papaya-clad celebrations on the pit-wall, the boy from Bristol could not help but sample that bittersweet taste. “It’s been a special year,” he said over team radio, before adding: “And next year is going to be my year, too.”

“He just missed the apex, ran wide. Was probably a bit too gun-ho. It was a little bit overconfident and it will have knocked some of his confidence.

“He will lose some track time this weekend.”

“I remember the excitement, might not be the same for Kimi, being on track with Schumacher ahead of me, just followed him for as many laps until he came in. It’s very surreal and hard to believe it’s true, hard to believe what you’re seeing.

When I see the youngsters coming through, try to set a good example in what I do. I want to protect them from the bombardment they will experience, it can be a cruel world.

“They just need time, diamonds are created over time. I hope they have time and space to grow, be themselves, not have to conform and rush.

“Some drivers come in and are booted out straight away, I hope they’re given time. We all make mistakes in our life but we do it in front of the world. I hope you can take it easy on the youngsters, take it out on us!”