This comes after the triple Formula 1 World Champion finished the first day of practice in the second fastest position. Verstappen was only beaten by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in FP2 at a packed Albert Park today.
Leclerc finished four-tenths of a second ahead of Verstappen when the session ended on day one. Sergio Perez, in the other Red Bull, could only manage P8 at the end of the first day of track action in Australia.
Reflecting on his Friday, Verstappen commented: “Unfortunately, it was a bit chaotic due to what happened in FP1. I went off track, damaging the floor and chassis. It took a bit longer to fix, so I lost about 20 minutes.
“However, I think the team did a quick turnaround, and I managed to complete most of the program. I would have liked a few more laps on the long run, but that’s how it goes when you miss 20 minutes.
“I think it was okay. Ferrari seems to be quick, but there are a few things we can fine-tune on our side as well. Nothing too crazy or worrying, just some adjustments needed for the car,” Verstappen added. He remains unbeaten in qualifying and races this year.
As usual, Sergio Perez had a slower start compared to his teammate at Red Bull. As a result, the Mexican veteran could only achieve P8, eight-tenths behind the leading time and half a second behind Max.
Perez commented on the challenging Friday: “Overall, it was a tricky day. We have some work to do overnight. In the afternoon, Melbourne becomes quite difficult due to poor visibility caused by the low sun.
“However, I believe we are in a good position this season with the car, and we should be strong on Saturday. It’s important to qualify high up. Degradation seems to be quite high on the long runs, so we need to analyze that and determine the best strategy for the weekend.
“Ferrari looks strong, especially on this circuit. They have been competitive in the long runs. It will be a challenge to beat them this weekend as they are fast here. It will be interesting to see how we compare,” Perez expressed.
Red Bull has been dominant in the first two races of the season, even more so than last year. However, the higher downforce demands of Albert Park, compared to the medium downforce Bahrain International Circuit (Round 1) and the fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit (Round 2), may pose a tougher test for the RB20.
Nevertheless, the current hierarchy suggests that another one-two finish is likely for Red Bull, who have shown a tendency to excel when it matters on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect a similar approach from the World Champions in Melbourne over the next few days.