Max Verstappen says Red Bull is not on the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix after finishing Friday practice in fifth and sixth.
Verstappen was nearly 1.5s off Lewis Hamilton's pace-setting Mercedes in the second practice session at Albert Park after running wide and damaging the floor his car during his first attempt at a flying lap on the softest compound tyre. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo completed a lap on the ultra-soft but was still a full second of the pace of Hamilton.
"We were trying to find a better balance but at the moment we are just a bit too slow, so we need to improve," Verstappen said.