F1 | Melbourne: Ferrari surprises first. Max second makes noise

Friday in Melbourne offered a good Ferrari. On a city circuit with racetrack curbs, the feeling with the single-seater becomes fundamental to be able to shave tenths in the most critical points. Leclerc and Sainz confirmed from the first laps the good basic setup of the two 'reds', the sensations of the two drivers were positive, and Charles' best time of the day (almost four tenths faster than the second time, obtained by Verstappen ) was also confirmed by a very good race pace.

Helmut Marko believes that the gap of 0″381 that separated Leclerc and Verstappen is a question of engine mode, but he changes his mind about the race pace. “I think that Ferrari used maximum power in the qualifying simulation – he commented – we didn't. This is why I don't consider the three-tenths gap in the fastest lap to be fundamental. But their race simulation was truly impressive, and this means that our set-up is not yet the right one.”

Leclerc completed nine laps on a set of medium tires (the compound used by all his rivals), lapping an average time of 1'22”926. Only the two McLarens came close to the Ferrari driver's pace (1'23″140 for Norris, 1'23″260 for Piastri) while Verstappen did not go beyond 1'23″773 in the run of just five laps. “It was a productive day – confirmed Charles – I had good sensations from the first lap and I always felt comfortable in the car. The most important thing for us to do will be to manage the evolution of the track and understand in advance how it will change. We need to work to refine the balance of the car and take another step forward in view of qualifying. For now it seems like we're in good shape but we have to see how we go tomorrow, when I expect the group to propose much tighter values.”

What made the news on Friday in Melbourne, even more than Leclerc's leadership of the day, was Verstappen's absence from the top of the standings. Max's day got complicated in FP1 due to a passage on the curb of turn 10 which damaged the floor. “I went wide – explained Verstappen – I took a good hit on the bottom which also required a check of the chassis”. Max started the FP2 session twenty minutes after the green light, and had to accelerate the programme. In the end, there was no time for the world champion to complete the race simulation, which was limited to just five laps for him. It will be a slightly different Friday evening than usual at Red Bull, accustomed to finishing work on an already very good basic set-up. In this case something more will be needed, but the faces of the technicians don't seem to betray any concern.

Sainz gritted his teeth. The good news is that Carlos will be at the start regularly for the rest of the weekend, but he is not in optimal form. “The last two weeks haven't been very easy – he confirmed – and today I'm very happy to have managed to complete two test sessions quite easily. Now I focus on progressing step by step, so as to arrive at qualifying and the race in the best possible shape. The car seems to be going well this weekend: I'll do everything I can to get the most out of the car and body!”. Third place in the day's standings and the long-run data confirmed a gap of four tenths compared to Leclerc, but considering the tour de force faced by Sainz to be in Melbourne, it is a gap that is there.