Nico Rosberg topped the times for the second session in a row, making it a Friday double on the first practice day of the new season. With just a tenth of a second between him and second place Lewis Hamilton, 2015 has picked up exactly where the previous season left off.

Sauber were able to participate in second practice, after sitting out the first session due to ongoing driver disputes. Manor were not quite so lucky, having to sit out the full day due to software issues hampering their modified 2014 machinery. The Ferrari duo improved their pace in the afternoon at Albert Park, with Vettel moving up to third behind the two Mercedes drivers, and Räikkönen slotting into fourth just behind him.

Super sub Kevin Magnussen rounded out the order after spinning off track and into the barriers. McLaren teammate Button suffered a power unit failure that compounded the team’s bad day. Felipe Massa also missed running after the team had to take the power unit out for repairs.