Max Verstappen of Red Bull topped the timesheets in first practice for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday.
Verstappen clocked 1 minute 18.790 seconds on the 5.303-kilometres Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
He led Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes who was 0.433 adrift, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez third with 1:19.293.
Verstappen leads the championships one point ahead of team-mate Perez, with each driver having topped the podium in the first two season races which saw Red Bull one-two finishes ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
Alonso was fourth in the practice session, followed by the two Ferraris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
The practice was briefly red flagged due to an issue with the GPS system. A second red flag saw the session called off with about three minutes remaining after Logan Sargeant of Williams beached on the grass.
Second practice is scheduled for later Friday, with final practice and qualifying on Saturday.
