Wolff acknowledges faster Red Bull: "Max is driving in a league of his own"

After the first free practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari seem to have the best papers. Meanwhile, it is starting to look more and more like Mercedes wasn't bluffing about the problems they would have after all this year, because on Friday the team was still not there. Toto Wolff is watching with dismay and acknowledges that Max Verstappen is "in a league of his own" at the moment.

Verstappen closed Friday with the fastest time but would have an even bigger lead in the long runs. Meanwhile, Mercedes is still plagued by porpoising and the team seems to lack speed on the straight.

Wolff didn't let on much on Friday, but the Mercedes team boss can't help but conclude that things are looking good for Red Bull. "Max is driving in a league of his own," he says according to Auto, Motor und Sport, describing the Austrian as "annoyed."

While, according to George Russell, Mercedes is up against AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo, Red Bull Racing looks set to battle it out for pole position with Ferrari. In terms of race pace, Red Bull seems to have the best papers at the moment, but according to the German medium, the team also has a little more engine power up its sleeve.