Ferrari edged out favorites Red Bull ahead of the weekend on the first day of practice for the Australian Grand Prix. However, a data dive suggests there is no choice between the two teams that have dominated the campaign so far. Here are five things we learned at a revamped Albert Park in Melbourne.
1. Ferrari set an impressive pace
Ahead of the weekend, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz said that while they expected to be in the mix, they felt the modifications to the track – with the removal of a chicane, adjustments to five corners and a full one – had made a difference Resurfacing – would not suit your car.
On Friday, the new high-speed section from Turn 6 to the new Turns 9 and 10 turned out to be their weak point against Red Bull, as the red cars are slower than Red Bull on the straights and fast corners.
FP2: Leclerc leads Verstappen in second Australian GP practice session
However, they are the fastest in the slow and medium-speed corners in particular – and according to our data they have a slight advantage both in qualifying and in race pace.
There is still work to be done, however, as both drivers seek more comfort in the car and Sainz admits they suffer from porpoises. And for qualifying, he said a lot will depend on how everyone gets the best out of the soft tyres, with both Ferrari and Red Bull picking up speed in the second – and even third – heats on the C5 with cool-down laps in between.
2. Red Bull chasing balance
Red Bull won’t be too disappointed when it comes to Friday night’s data dive. The four-time world champions have been ousted on the timesheets by Ferrari, but when times are re-assessed for fuel they know they’re on the right track in the hunt.
Max Verstappen would have matched Leclerc’s time if, according to our data, he had brought together all his best mini sectors, but the Dutchman caught traffic on one of his soft tire runs and then made a mistake in another in the penultimate corner.
READ MORE: Verstappen twitches the gap to Ferrari as he says Red Bull are ‘more or less’ talking about their pace at Albert Park
The reigning world champion was also pleased with how the car felt during the more fuel-efficient drives, with the RB18 just 0.01s behind Ferrari in our race sim rankings.
His teammate Sergio Perez was more frustrated, hinting the car felt better in FP1 than it did in FP2 as they went the wrong way with the setup – but he remained optimistic his team can find “a couple of tenths” from whom he believes would turn the weekend in their favor.
3. McLaren faster than expected
Since their miserable front axle experience in Bahrain, McLaren have made strides and although they are small, a further improvement in their understanding of their package has put them not only in contention for Q3 but also in contention for Sunday’s points.
READ MORE: McLaren drivers celebrate ‘best Friday’ of the season after top 10 finishes in Melbourne
This is good news for local fans who are dreaming of a big result for their hero Daniel Ricciardo. He was coy about his expectations for the weekend, although the orange cars showed a turn in pace that few expected. Over a lap they appear to have the sixth fastest car, but had Lando Norris driven all of his best sectors he would have been sixth fastest of all.
Race pace is less impressive with McLaren being the second slowest on the straights, but both drivers feel reasonably safe with the car – and there is the caveat that the British team rarely show their true colors on a Friday.
4. Alpine fast in the fast middle sector
Barcelona pre-season struggles seem a world away for Alpine at the moment. The Enstone-based team has scored 16 points over the first two rounds, placing them fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
And that encouraging pace continued in Melbourne, where the blue and pink cars – who reverted to their permanent inverted livery for the remainder of the season – were particularly quick on the straights, which explains why they were so strong in the new high-speed middle sector .
READ MORE: Alpine riders braced themselves for a close fight for Q3 spots despite a strong Friday in Melbourne
In qualifying trim, Alpine was third in the pecking order, 0.69s behind Ferrari and Red Bull but a quarter of a second ahead of Mercedes. Our ideal lap data, which compiles a driver’s best mini-sectors, shows that Fernando Alonso got pretty much everything out of the car – 0.004s off his all-time best – leaving teammate Esteban Ocon just 0.043s on the table. There could be more to come as sporting director Alan Permane said they still have a lot of work to do to get the best out of the soft tire on the first timed lap in qualifying.
The race pace doesn’t look as good as they drop to fifth place. That’s consistent with Alonso’s assessment that they have some balancing issues to deal with as they use more fuel.
Fernando Alonso: Alpine ‘would like to be stronger’ in the last sector in Melbourne.
5. Mercedes suffers again
Mercedes’ painful start to the 2022 season is expected to continue in Melbourne, with the reigning world champions falling nearly a second off the pace on low fuel as they battle in the high-speed things.
Their race pace is marginally better as they move into third place over Alpine, but it’s still 0.8s per lap slower than Ferrari and Red Bull, meaning the podium challenge seems a step too far .
READ MORE: ‘Nothing you change about the car makes a difference’ – Mercedes driver frustrated after tough Friday in Australia
Lewis Hamilton was dejected after practice, the Brit saying “at the moment nothing you change on the car makes a difference” while team-mate George Russell admitted he was suffering from the “heaviest” porpoise he has experienced .
Without updates this weekend, it might come as no surprise that Mercedes aren’t closer to the front of the pack – but they’ve shown impressive resilience in the face of adversity so far this season and there’s little to suggest things won’t continue here .
Not the happiest return for Lewis Hamilton on Friday
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