5 F1 Fails From Aussie Grand Prix Practice

Friday practice was as chaotic as we expected, as drivers fought to tame their new cars

18 May 2015

1. Hamilton stopped by circuit guard

Lewis Hamilton's Australian Grand Prix weekend didn't get off to the best of starts. His car stopped on track after a sensor failure shut down the engine in the first five minutes of practice one and when he returned to the paddock area, he was asked by a guard to show his pass when making his way through the turnstile. His response? "I'm a driver", which is basically motorsport speak for "Don't you know who I am?"

2. Awkward pit lane crash

It wasn't a big accident, but it was very awkward indeed. Max Chilton attempted to drive his Ferrari-powered Marussia MR03 into his pit box but locked his front wheels and ended up colliding with a trolley (which is used to wheel the car into the garage). Fortunately it was a low-speed accident and the mechanic holding the piece of equipment remained upright.

3. A quick spin

Due to the handling changes to the new 2014 cars, all 22 drivers struggled at the Albert Park Circuit on Friday. We saw plenty of slides (including epic saves from Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean) as well as countless off-track excursions. Everyone managed to get away with it except Nico Hulkenberg. The Force India driver had a clumsy spin at turn nine and ended up beached in the gravel.

4. Grosjean finds the wall

Image source: Getty Images

Romain Grosjean was approaching turn six during the closing stages of the second 90-minute practice session, when the car veered left under braking for the right-hander. He hit the wall and broke the car's rear suspension. It is thought that the loss of control was caused by a brake-by-wire or suspension issue.

5. Get out of my way

Image source: Ferrari

Fernando Alonso was left in a tricky situation during second practice after his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen became stranded at the end of the pit lane while attempting a practice start. The Spaniard had lined up behind Raikkonen but after a short while wondering what was going on, he was forced to edge around the second F14 T and just managed to avoid hitting it.