For the first time since the Singapore Grand Prix last year, Ferrari looks like it can beat Red Bull and Max Verstappen once again. The SF-24 in the hands of Charles Leclerc ended the running on Friday significantly ahead of Verstappen, with a gap of almost 4 tenths of a second (0.381 seconds to be precise).  The Dutchman didn’t have a smooth outing, having missed a significant portion of his run plan during the second Free Practice due to the damage to his floor sustained from scraping the exit kerb in turn 10 during FP1.

In a statement following the first two practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc expressed confidence in the team’s performance. He acknowledged that while Red Bull remains a strong contender, Ferrari has made significant gains and could potentially challenge Red Bull’s dominance on Sunday. “I think they are still ahead, but we might have our best shot this weekend since the beginning of the season,” said the Monégasque driver.

Leclerc highlighted Ferrari’s positive momentum in Melbourne, emphasizing the team’s satisfaction with the SF-24’s performance. He also expressed optimism about the team’s ability to extract even better performance throughout the weekend, indicating that there’s still some room for improvement. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, who returned to action in Australia after recovering from appendicitis also showed strong pace by finishing third fastest in the second practice session, less than a tenth away from Max Verstappen.

What’s even more encouraging for Ferrari is that Sainz admitted that he hadn’t pushed himself or the car to the limit just yet. He also expressed confidence in his ability to improve and compete for pole position in qualifying. He echoed Leclerc’s sentiment in the fact that Ferrari had made progress, particularly in the second session, which means that the Scuderia has potentially found the sweet spot in terms of setting up both its cars.

The data from qualifying simulations, as shared by SoyMotor.com on X also suggests that Ferrari has the best pace out of all the teams with the Scuderia 0.344 seconds ahead of the second fastest team, Red Bull, with Aston Martin close behind in third.

Ferrari’s impressive pace on Friday even caught the attention of Red Bull motorsport advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko.

Helmut Marko thinks Ferrari has a decent race pace in Australia

While Red Bull has been dominating recent races, with Max Verstappen leading the pack, Helmut Marko acknowledged that Charles Leclerc’s performance has caught his attention. Marko suggests that Ferrari might have pushed their engine to its limits during qualifying simulations, possibly explaining their strong showing. However, he doesn’t underestimate Ferrari’s potential threat in Melbourne. Red Bull has a history of improving over the course of a race weekend, but Marko acknowledged that they might not have the same advantage against Ferrari this time.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Marko admitted that Leclerc’s race simulation was “very impressive,” indicating that Red Bull still needs to fine-tune their setup to match Ferrari’s pace. He also noted that the competition in Formula 1 is getting tighter, with teams closing the gap between each other. Overall, the sentiment in the F1 paddock is quite similar about Ferrari’s pace. Even Lando Norris thinks that Ferrari might have the best car in Melbourne, hinting that either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz might clinch the pole position on Saturday.

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What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think Ferrari might actually beat Red Bull on Sunday? Let us know your race day predictions in the comments down below.

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