The 2018 FIA Formula 1 racing season has officially started. The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team has had a busy day of free practices ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. It was the first day on track after the recent winter tests in Barcelona, where the team got its first impression of the new C37. While Marcus Ericsson gave input on the car's changes since 2017, Monégasque rookie Charles Leclerc had his first laps of the Albert Park circuit. The main focus of the day was on set-up work and tyre management in preparation for the race. A good improvement was made from FP1 to FP2.

Marcus Ericsson: "It was a positive day - we completed a lot of laps testing different compounds. We continued developing our understanding of the new car, building on what we learned during winter testing. We still have lots of work ahead of us to get to where we want to be. Today's sessions were good in preparing us for the rest of the weekend. In any case, it is great to be back racing, and fun to be here."

Charles Leclerc: "Overall, it has been a productive day for me. There are a lot of things going on that are new - I can already tell that I have learned a lot since this morning. It was my first time driving on this track in Albert Park which was exciting. We mainly worked on finding the best set-up for the car and drove on different tyre compounds today. By FP2, I already felt quite comfortable in the car. I really look forward to being back on track tomorrow."

Check out our Friday gallery from Melbourne, here.