It is, however, very close behind. Mercedes reckons it’s actually better than it looks on its long-run pace as Russell’s softs stint was impacted by running in traffic and his pace improved once he had cleared it. The team feels it is right in the mix with Ferrari and Aston.Photo by: Mark Sutton /Ferrari was also running in lower downforce trim compared to Red Bull today, which, again, comes at a tyre preservation cost.
Drivers may well be forced to not run closely behind rivals in order not to punish their left-side tyres even more than in the hammering they are already taking through the final corners With the corner types at Barcelona so demanding, wet weather could have a big impact on the pecking order as the drivers will be really challenged.
But if the rain holds off, there will be much analysis of the impact of the track layout changes for this year – with the clunky, low-speed chicane removed.