Jack Doohan delights fans as he tops Formula 2 practice in Melbourne

Jack Doohan has staked his claim early at the Australian grand prix, setting the fastest time in practice to the delight of the local crowd.

Jack Doohan tops FIA Formula 2 practice in Melbourne. (Formula Motorsport Limited)

Ayumu Iwasa set the first competitive lap but was quickly bested by Doohan, who stayed on track and on top of the timing sheets for most of the session as he improved his lap.

The session was suspended briefly when Roy Nissany spun on entry into the final corner and spun into the barriers.

Resuming with just over 20 minutes left, there was a flurry of laps both Hitech Pulse-Eight drivers Jak Crawford and Isack Hadjar went to the top of the leader board in consecutive laps.

Another spin in the final corner brought the session to a holt once again, as Jehan Daruvala parked his #2 MP Motorsport car at pit entry.

Running was back underway with around ten minutes remaining, and Jack Doohan was quicker again and again, setting the final time of 1:29.989 before a final red flag brought an end to the session.

Hadjar was second-fastest ahead of Victor Martins, with the top ten drivers separated by less than a second.

Qualifying for the FIA Formula 2 weekend is underway at 5.30pm Friday evening.

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