Verstappen, who's the reigning world champion and represents Red Bull, was accused of bullying by Mercedes man Russell at last year's Qatar Grand Prix after he received a penalty for impeding the Englishman.

While both George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed strong pace on longer runs with the harder C3 and C4 tire compounds, their one-lap pace was off what their rivals showed on Friday. Russell finished FP1 in P7,

McLaren's Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.