Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes was a big surprise during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, particularly given the Scuderia ended Formula 1’s fortnight of pre-season testing as the clear early favourite.
Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel qualified third in Melbourne but was more than seven tenths slower than Mercedes’ polesitter Lewis Hamilton, and dropped to fourth in the race after being passed by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
But despite the team’s on-track struggles – with Vettel admitting he had “way less grip” throughout the weekend than in testing at Barcelona – evidence of a change in atmosphere was clear after the race as Vettel, new team-mate Charles Leclerc and team boss Mattia Binotto were quick to admit Ferrari was not as fast as it had expected to be.
Jack Cozens and Ben Anderson join Glenn Freeman to analyse Ferrari’s weekend and explain why there is no reason for the team to panic just yet.