P1racenews AI automatic summary:
It was not the best of days for Max Verstappen in Australia after sustaining floor and chassis damage to his Red Bull and missing part of FP2. And anyone looking at the data will see he has a lot to concern him from Ferrari and McLaren….
The result of the second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix showed Max Verstappen trailing Charles Leclerc by almost four-tenths of a second, partly due to floor damage sustained when Verstappen hit a kerb, causing him to miss 20 minutes of FP2. Despite this setback, Verstappen finished second fastest in both sessions but with a significant gap to Leclerc in the second session. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko suggested that Leclerc’s qualifying run was at “full power,” indicating that Red Bull was not at that stage yet, leading to a potential explanation for the difference in times. The RB20’s speed advantage over the SF24 on straights was evident, although Verstappen struggled in the first sector where downforce is crucial. As Red Bull aims to close the gap to Ferrari and McLaren, the competition remains tight heading into qualifying, with Aston Martin also posing a threat after displaying strong one-lap pace in Melbourne.
