McLaren and Ferrari fast in long runs, Verstappen loses heavily
General
- Ludo van Denderen
McLaren and Ferrari undoubtedly went into the Australian night feeling good. The differences between the two teams seem small over a lap as well as in the long runs. But Mercedes and perhaps Red Bull Racing are not to be easily beaten over a Grand Prix distance.
Still, first of all, a side note: the long runs in Melbourne gave a first glimpse of the pecking order, but on Sunday everything is likely to be reshuffled, as rain is expected during the Australian Grand Prix, which could shake up the entire field. Good news for Verstappen, it seems, as the Dutchman could not keep up with McLaren and Ferrari in his long run. On the C4, he was some three tenths per lap slower than Lando Norris, moreover with a stint of seven laps (Norris did nine, ed.).
Mercedes promising, but too slow on softs
McLaren showed the most consistent speed in its race simulations, although the difference was minimal with George Russell (Mercedes) driving on a harder compound. The problem for Russell, however, was that over a lap, he conceded a significant amount of time to the German team's rivals. The Briton may be fast on the C3, but if he starts further down the order, that race pace advantage may be meaningless on Sunday.
Charles Leclerc was over a tenth slower on average per lap than Norris during his long runs. Important to note, though, that Ferrari's Monegasque drove three more laps on the C3's, so the difference between the two drivers is marginal.
The same cannot be said for Lewis Hamilton, though, when compared to his teammate. On one lap pace, the former world champion was about four tenths slower. Almost two tenths per lap was the margin between the two Ferrari drivers in the long runs, on the same tyre and equal number of laps driven.
Remarkable was how good Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz were on the C3, the former even faster than Verstappen. But on the softs they did not join the party at the front.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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