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Final practice for the Australian Grand Prix has sparked a fascinating Formula 1 qualifying session with Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Red Bull’s dominance in the first two rounds of 2024 has included two comfortable pole positions for world champion Max Verstappen, at least on paper.
If the team looks vulnerable anywhere it is on a single lap and returning to the scene of fairly prominent braking and tire warm-up issues in 2023, Red Bull and Verstappen face a real threat of being beaten in qualifying for the first time in 2024. .
Charles Leclerc led final practice for Ferrari as Red Bull’s closest rival proved to be more than a match on both the medium and soft tyres.
Verstappen complained that his brakes weren’t “biting” at the start of FP3, then an unconvincing multi-lap finale on soft tires ended with a much more emphatic last-gasp lap that briefly put the three-time champion quicker.
But Leclerc then went even faster, beating Verstappen by just 0.020s, showing that even when the RB20 hit a sweet spot with its brakes and tires, Ferrari’s SF-24 was still extremely powerful.
That Sainz backed Leclerc in third, just half a tenth behind Verstappen, further reinforced that point. And there might also be a slightly unexpected third team on the qualifying list.
Mercedes had a difficult Friday in Melbourne, a track that had been kind to its first two problematic ground effect cars in 2022 and 2023, with Lewis Hamilton particularly concerned about set-up changes backfiring.
However, significant adjustments for FP3 appear to have paid off, as Hamilton lapped within a tenth of Leclerc to finish the session in fourth, with teammate George Russell just behind him on the timesheets.
Mercedes have made a bright start to both weekends so far in 2024 in Friday practice before fading as events progressed, making this their most encouraging final practice session ahead of qualifying so far. the moment.
If Red Bull is vulnerable, a repeat of FP3’s result in qualifying will give it work to do to continue its initial one-two streak in Sunday’s grand prix.
Sergio Pérez was just three tenths off the pace and 0.280s slower than Verstappen, which is more or less in the expected window of the second Red Bull driver, but such is the apparent competitiveness of his rival that Pérez was only seventh fastest. .
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso overtook Perez to take sixth, while local McLaren hero Oscar Piastri was less than a tenth behind and took eighth.
Behind, Lance Stroll in ninth and Lando Norris in a disappointing tenth in the second Aston and McLaren respectively only underlined the pecking order that had been established earlier in the season with five teams clearly the fastest.
Outside the top 10, attention was on Alex Albon, who took over teammate Logan Sargeant’s car for the rest of the weekend following Albon’s own crash in final practice.
Williams has left out Sargeant due to not having a spare chassis in Melbourne and is banking on Albon as the best bet to finish in points on Sunday. He began that bid, with a new set of engine components, running 13th fastest in final practice as he tried to catch up after missing FP2.
