(UTV|COLOMBO) – Lewis Hamilton started the new Formula 1 season with fastest time in the first practice session at the Australian Grand Prix.
The world champion had emphasised on Thursday that he felt Mercedes were behind Ferrari heading into the season.
But in a closely matched session, Hamilton edged Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by 0.038 seconds. His team-mate Charles Leclerc was 0.036secs behind.
Just 0.193secs covered the top four, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen next up.
British-born Thai Alexander Albon, a rookie driving for Toro Rosso, brought the session to a brief halt with a crash at Turn Two.
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