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Lewis Hamilton believes he and Ferrari were able to unlock some "good information" from its SF-26, despite a "challenging" Friday at the Australian GP.

Hamilton was the only driver across the grid to finish both sessions inside the top four, going second and fourth, respectively, on an encouraging day for the seven-time champion.

He finished FP2 just 0.001s slower than George Russell's Mercedes, who was expected to be the favourite heading into the weekend, with Kimi Antonelli in second, not too far ahead of the former team-mates.

During FP2, Hamilton did have a skate across the gravel, but was otherwise left upbeat by the package underneath him as he chases a first Ferrari grand prix podium in Sunday's race.

"It's been a really good day. It's great to be back on track and properly get going," Hamilton said.

"It’s amazing to be here. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to do what I love, and it's incredible to see so many fans here today.

"It was challenging at times on track, but we maximised our laps and executed to the best of our ability, getting some good information.

"There is lots of work to do, but I’m looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow."