The Scuderia Ferrari seems to be on par with the speed of Red Bull on Friday. Sergio Perez anticipates that Scuderia could pose a threat to Milton Keynes during Qualifying.
Red Bull Racing has been the dominant force in Formula 1 during the ground effect era. They have been in a league of their own compared to their competitors. However, Scuderia Ferrari has been striving hard to catch up with Milton Keynes. Now, Perez acknowledges that Maranello could potentially challenge the world champions after the free practice session at Albert Park.
The Ferrari car led the time sheets in the second free practice session, ahead of the Red Bull cars and Perez’s teammate. Perez finished the session in sixth place. The Mexican driver mentioned that Scuderia showed strength at the Australian GP in the past. Leclerc previously won the 2022 Australian GP. Perez emphasized that the Italian team showed promising speed during the long runs in free practice.
As a result, Perez believes that beating Ferrari this weekend could be a challenge. Additionally, he admitted that Red Bull could potentially lose pole position to the Italian team. The 34-year-old driver highlighted that Scuderia has been particularly fast in terms of speed in a single lap this season.
Max Verstappen had an unusual Friday at Albert Park. The three-time world champion went off track in FP1, causing damage to the floor of his RB-20 car, which has a unique design. Red Bull mechanics rushed to fix the car, but this resulted in the Dutch driver missing crucial 20 minutes of track time during the second practice session.
Verstappen acknowledged that it was a chaotic day at Albert Park. The 26-year-old driver admitted that his mistake caused damage to the floor and chassis of his car. However, he believed he was still able to complete the free practice program. Although the three-time world champion confessed that he would have preferred to have a few more laps in his long race simulation.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are likely to have the fastest car this weekend. Despite the strong performance of the two Ferraris, Red Bull remains the favorite to win the Australian GP. However, it will be intriguing to see if Verstappen faces a challenge from Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz for pole position in Qualifying, leading to an exciting battle in the race.
