F1 Australian GP: Red Bull explores different setups, identifies gap in four key corners. Red Bull Friday in Melbourne: Two setup approaches reveal where time is lost.

Red Bull Friday review

Despite some electronic issues that slowed Max Verstappen in FP2, Red Bull drew a mixed assessment from Friday in Melbourne: the team feels there is still something missing to compete with the very best, but they also know where to focus to try and make a step forward. In the afternoon, they even explored opposing setup directions. Interestingly, the gap from the top teams appears to emerge in just a few corners.

The first day on track, especially for a new chassis, is one of those days that is hard to forget—and in this case, it left an overall… sweet taste. Almost overshadowed by the weekend’s larger context, this was Red Bull’s first official session with the Milton Keynes-developed power unit, and despite minor setbacks, the overall assessment is positive.

Drawing conclusions from pre-season testing would have been premature, which is why Max Verstappen remains realistic, aware that beating Mercedes—especially once they push fully on the engine side—will not be easy. Like all rivals, however, the learning curve is steep, and consistency on track can make a huge difference.

Challenges on track

Red Bull’s Friday wasn’t exactly smooth. An ECU failure forced Max Verstappen to miss the early part of FP2, returning only in the last 30 minutes, during which he also ran wide at turn 10, causing minor damage to the car. Nothing dramatic, and the team continues to stress patience, fully aware of the work ahead.

In the second session, the team deliberately explored two opposite setup directions to gather useful data for tomorrow, an approach also followed by other teams who made significant adjustments between sessions. In some cases, this meant testing different solutions, like Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, while in others it was a reaction to an FP1 where the car balance had not been optimal.

Telemetry insights

Overall, Max Verstappen never hid that Melbourne would be challenging, with teams that had stayed quiet during testing now showing some technical superiority on the engine side. Red Bull believes it still has a gap compared to the more established constructors. The wide at turn 10 certainly affected the lap, but the first official session with the RB22 also revealed interesting insights. The lap time deficit occurs over just a few corners, highlighting where interventions could reduce the gap and start aiming for more.

Telemetry shows the RB22 is extremely competitive in traction and acceleration… when energy is available. Up to the braking point at turn 3, Verstappen is on pace to be the fastest on track, confirming that Red Bull uses a lot of energy in the early part of the lap, including the final part of the straight, with excellent entry through the turn 1/2 chicane.

The problem begins from turn 4 onward, where the gap clearly grows. Between turns 4 and 6, Verstappen loses over three-and-a-half tenths due to a different energy deployment strategy, arriving at the fast chicane braking point up to 15 km/h slower than rivals. A significant deficit, but it also shows how energy management can create large differences within a single lap. Arriving at lower speed with less energy still allows aggressive braking without lift-and-coast to recharge the battery, helping him close in on rivals at the braking zones.

Exiting turns 6/7 in the first part of the straight, the RB22 uses a lot of energy, reaching top speed quickly, followed by the inevitable derating phase where the electric motor stops contributing, a common trait with other rivals. However, in high downforce zones, including the fast turn 9/10 chicane, the Milton Keynes car appears to defend itself well.

The choice to use more energy in the first part of the lap explains the gap accumulated in the second half, where Max Verstappen posted the slowest sector among the front runners. Battery limitations are most evident exiting the final long corner, where Max is almost 15 km/h slower than those who conserved energy in other parts of the lap.

A complex exercise, and many teams are analyzing exactly this to understand how to become truly competitive in qualifying. Questions remain about race pace, as the turn 10 off-track limited the team’s ability to work as planned.