Verstappen faces serious competition from Ferrari and McLaren in long runs

Ferrari were the fastest in Australia over one lap. At Albert Park, Charles Leclerc was over three-tenths faster than Max Verstappen and four-tenths faster than teammate Carlos Sainz. In the other Red Bull car, Sergio Perez was even outpaced by Leclerc by more than eight-tenths.

Max Verstappen is not that worried. According to the Dutchman and Helmut Marko, the competition used a higher engine setting during practice. This is a pattern we have seen often this year. In the long run data, Red Bull usually have the upper hand. However, that is not the case in Melbourne.

How was Verstappen's long run pace in Australia?

Verstappen only just got to do a long run. After FP1, his RB20 had floor damage, so he had to wait. He missed around 20 minutes, so his programme was condensed into a shorter time. Therefore, his' long run' of four laps on the medium tyre is not very representative. His teammate did do a long run, but Perez is generally a few tenths slower than Verstappen.

Perez's long run starts fast, but the Mexican loses quite some ground in the second part of his stint. With several laps in the 1.24s, he does not reach the average the competition can produce.

Ferrari and McLaren impress with long run data

Ferrari's pace looks very tight in this respect. Charles Leclerc is particularly convincing, with a 1.22.9 average. However, the Monegasque only managed six laps, and Perez's decline only comes after six laps. Carlos Sainz, for instance, clearly shows that the Ferrari loses pace when the stint lasts longer.

In that respect, McLaren's pace is perhaps more impressive. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed a very stable long run, lasting quite a few laps. Piastri completed the longest long run of the top teams on the medium tyre and still averaged 1.23.2. In the last few laps, that average rises with two 1.24s. For McLaren, pace over one lap is more of a concern. On the soft tyre, neither driver came close to the Ferraris.

On Friday, Aston Martin and Mercedes do not seem to be anywhere near these teams. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll still look good over one lap, but they do not come close to the McLarens in the long run.

At Mercedes, the problems are even worse. Over one lap, George Russell is still in the mix, but in the long run, the Brit is miles away. His teammate wasn't at the races in Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton did not get a qualifying lap together or drive a serious long run. So, work to do for the German racing team.