The first day of free practice in Melbourne has ended. Ferrari, first with Sainz, then with Leclerc, immediately set the pace, demonstrating that it had worked well in preparation for this weekend and that it had arrived once again, prepared. Red Bull, on the other hand, had to correct the shot in the race, resorting to a wing with a more loaded profile, given the non-optimal configuration tested in the morning session. Ferrari, although it has highlighted the problem of porpoising more, compared to the first two races remains competitive in 2 out of 3 sectors, the first and the third. Red Bull in Second, the fastest one. It will be a matter of cents again this time, with Red Bull starting behind Ferrari, in the race, it would be ready to attack the position thanks to the 4 DRS zones.
Taking into account what we have seen in these two sessions, let's try to build our team for this weekend.
We begin, as always, with who to deploy as Top Drivers:
Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen?
Undoubtedly deploying one or the other would be a certainty. Both have competitive cars and will get even closer over the course of the weekend. Whoever starts first doesn't necessarily have an advantage, we also saw it in Jeddah. Charles and Max both brought home a win. We believe that once again the two will play it on the physical duel and that the difference will be marginal. However, the lower cost of Charles makes us lean towards the Monegasque, so let's join our team Leclerc at 36 farms.
Mid-table bets:
Esteban Ocon at 14 masi: Alpine wants to defend the excellent 4th place in the standings, and to do so, as well as bringing a new lightened bottom to Australia, it played with power in this first day of free practice. Alonso has already reached Power Unit number 3, while Ocon fared better. The team is optimistic and can challenge itself, fighting to get important points, in a center group that is getting crowded with McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes. The French team will aim to conquer the second and third rows, hoping however for reliability, the true unknown this season, especially at Alpine.
Valtteri Bottas at 15 farms: There is also optimism at Alfa Romeo, where the goal is always the same: to get into the top 10. A goal that seems to fit Valtteri Bottas perfectly, who by now has taken a liking to battling for the top 5 with Mercedes and his old teammate Lewis Hamilton despite having a car, less competitive on paper.
Kevin Magnussen at 16 months: This morning he wasn't quite at his best but if he resolves his intestinal problems he can aim for the top 10, also knowing the circuit better than his teammate who is at his first Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Last Place Bonus:
Latifi with 12 farms: at low cost, Nicholas will at least aim to finish the race this time. Even if Albon will have to serve a penalty of 3 places on the grid, we believe that he has a better chance than his teammate who could get the last place bonus.