Long run analysis: Did Red Bull drive with reduced power on Friday?

At the end of the first and second free practice sessions an unusual picture emerges: Red Bull Racing is leading the timesheets, even in the long runs. Mercedes has improved compared to the winter test, but still seems to be missing something.

The field hasn't been this close for a long time. Of course it is only Friday, but in the second free practice the long runs took place and that also shows that it is close, as reports Auto, Motor und Sport. Also unusual is the small difference between first and fifteenth place at the end of the second free practice: only 0,923 seconds.

According to the timesheets Mercedes is not the favourite this time: in both practice sessions the team was two to three tenths short of the fastest time. Also McLaren did well, especially Lando Norris, although he lowered the expectations somewhat after the practice sessions.

Race simulations

The difference between first and fifteenth place is bigger in the longruns: McLaren is nine tenths behind, Aston Martin 1.2 seconds and Alpine 1.5 seconds. The difference between Verstappen and Hamilton is smaller here, about 0.2 seconds. However, according to Mercedes, Red Bull had reduced the power of the Honda engine. This would appear from a comparison with the data from sister team AlphaTauri.

Also interesting are the top speeds on the straight: here McLaren had the upper hand with 320,3 km/h from Lando Norris, followed by Lewis Hamilton with 314,4 km/h and Max Verstappen with 311,5 km/h. It is assumed that McLaren was driving with more power, however, so the top speed is unlikely to match Sunday's.