Long-run analysis: Mercedes quickest on paper, Ferrari & Red Bull almost equal

Ferrari were tipped to be the quickest after pre-season testing and they were the favourites to be quickest in Melbourne as well, but according to the data from the long-runs, it's still Mercedes who are quickest in longer stints, according to Formula1.com.

In both FP1 and FP2, Lewis Hamilton put the quickest time on the board, with the Brit even leading other teams by almost an entire second. However, this isn't representative for every team's raw pace, of course. 

How did each team get on in terms of race pace, then? What can we expect on Sunday? The official Formula 1 website did some analysis.

From their research, it seems Mercedes are on top, and behind them is not Red Bull or Ferrari, but Alfa Romeo. This underlines that both the Scuderia and the Bulls were probably sandbagging on Friday, keeping their cards close to the chest.

Another thing the data shows is how depressingly far behind Williams are. Take a look at the data here:

Difference in long-run pace (per lap)

1. Mercedes

2. Alfa Romeo Racing (+0.9s/lap)

3. Ferrari (+1.0s/lap)

4. Red Bull (+1.0s/lap)

5. Racing Point (+1.3s/lap)

6= McLaren (+1.4s/lap)

6= Renault (+1.4s/lap)

6= Haas (+1.4s/lap)

9. Toro Rosso (+1.5s/lap)

10. Williams (+3.4s/lap)