The first two sessions of the Australian Grand Prix kicked off the actual new Formula 1 season, with, obviously, the new regulations as protagonists. The Albert Park track is a complicated challenge on the energy recovery front and this meant that we saw, from the very first minutes, all the teams busy on track in search of optimization not only of the aero-mechanical setup, but also (or perhaps above all) of the battery discharge and recharge strategies to find the best compromise within the lap, especially from the point of view of the flying lap. The teams also seem to take significant difficulties in overtaking for granted, given that almost everyone focused much more on optimizing the flying lap than on race pace.
Read more Honda: “FP2 data indicates that vibration countermeasures are starting to work”
Ferrari starts well, Mercedes with limited laps?
In the first session, the Ferrari 1-2 was not just the result of mere chance, but of an SF26 with a very centered setup base. The rear appeared decidedly more stable than what was seen in Bahrain, and the two axles always appeared particularly balanced. The drivers’ driving immediately benefited from this. On one hand, a combative and fast Hamilton, who even allowed himself the luxury of a few run-offs because he was confident enough to push to the limit; on the other, a Leclerc eager to excel, who asked the team for an additional flying lap at the end of the session to regain the top of the standings. During the first hour, we also noticed quite different energy recovery techniques between the two Ferrari drivers: Hamilton showed a tendency for small LiCo in the first sector, present but not particularly pronounced, while Leclerc seemed to prefer gathering all the “coasting” moments waiting for braking in a single point, the braking zone of turn 11. Red Bull also appeared competitive on the clock in the first hour of free practice, but with what appeared from the data to be a lower chassis quality than Ferrari: the SF26 was in fact superior to its Austrian rival in all points where aerodynamic downforce was fundamental, as well as in direction changes that required stable aerodynamics and high-energy flow. Those who instead seemed to hide a lot in the first hour were Mercedes, with Russell and Antonelli often tackling the long back straight with rotation speeds even over 1000 rpm lower than the competition. With them, McLaren also seemed not particularly brilliant, mostly from a motor-mechanical point of view (especially the gearbox). The impression was that the Brixworth Power Units still have some reliability issues and that, therefore, Toto Wolff’s engineers use them at higher revs only when strictly necessary to verify setups and performance, but otherwise, they settle for revealing only a small part of the real potential. It doesn’t seem like a simple matter of hiding it, but rather a necessity to preserve the power units, at least in this early stage of the season.
In the second session, Mercedes and McLaren emerge, while Ferrari fails to find the way
The situation was very different in the second session: Mercedes raised the level of power delivered and the resulting change in pace was evident. Russell and Antonelli give the idea of having decidedly the best package in their hands, both from a chassis point of view, with a car that is easy to drive and has a high level of downforce, and from a motor point of view, with a power unit that appeared powerful and flexible, able to best manage the critical phases of energy recovery. In this context, Oscar Piastri also emerged with the McLaren. If we compare the data of the top 3 teams, we can notice something interesting.
Super McLaren traction
The energy distribution is clearly different between the three teams throughout the lap. McLaren starts strong, with the home driver reaching 309 km/h at the first braking point, even 13 km/h more than Hamilton and 18 more than Antonelli. One thing to note is that in the first sector, Piastri especially does long lift and coast, at the braking points of turns 1, 3, and 6, losing relatively little, but then gaining markedly in the subsequent exit traction. It is a notable fact because it seems to underline a particular traction strength of the MCL40 also from a mechanical point of view, given that one of the main difficulties is being able to properly put down the enormous torque provided by the hybrid at the exit of the corner.
Read more The rumor: if Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are cancelled, the world championship will be 22 GPs
Central phase in favor of Mercedes
On the very long back straight, it is instead Antonelli’s Mercedes that prevails, with a more concentrated delivery that leads to a slightly higher and more concentrated top speed, followed by a long power cut that costs over 40 km/h in speed, as predicted by the eve’s analyses. The energy conservation at the end of the long stretch towards turn 9 then allows the Italian driver to have a larger reserve for the subsequent stretch up to turn 11, where Antonelli clearly prevails. In the last sector, the number 12 Mercedes comes very close to taking the best time of the session, recovering over 3 tenths of a gap in the entire critical section for the tires. Further confirmation of the innate qualities of the W22 also in terms of tire management, not just at the Power Unit level. An untidy exit by Antonelli from the last corner and a slightly lower level of available power compared to the competition leave Oscar Piastri as the session leader. It should also be noted that only Russell and Antonelli conducted a fairly complete long run simulation, showing a very high consistency of high performance that makes them absolute favorites for Sunday’s race.
Ferrari takes an unprofitable path, but Hamilton appears rediscovered
As far as the Maranello team is concerned, the data shows an overall delay, although with good points both in terms of engine and chassis. The impression is that on one hand, Vasseur’s men chose a path that was not perfect for the evolution of the car’s setup after the first session; on the other hand, there is also a certain gap between the red car and Mercedes in particular, with Leclerc and Hamilton’s hopes pinned more on fighting with the McLaren duo for second force, rather than really worrying Mercedes. It should be noted that Lewis Hamilton showed significant brilliance and driving confidence, as we had perhaps never seen with the SF26, and this gives the idea of a good car on the fundamentals, and of a driver who, perhaps, in these new cars finds the correct feeling with driving and can therefore try to challenge Leclerc.
Reliability node fundamental
We will therefore see how things evolve on the second day and, above all, in qualifying, the first real performance test of the season. Mercedes starts as the favorite, but the reliability of the three-pointed star’s Power Unit could become a key point, not necessarily for breakages, but for the need to lower the power output to guarantee its longevity. Immediately behind seems to be McLaren, but with Ferrari being able to try to challenge the latter. That said, anything can really happen with these new cars.
