Ferrari and McLaren, a battle of opposites: SF-25 excels in traction and slow corners | F1 Melbourne GP. The first day of practice in Melbourne has delivered its first verdicts.

The first free practice sessions in Australia are in the books, and although the teams have yet to show their full hand—as is typical at the start of a weekend—early data has already emerged, helping to clarify the pecking order.

Friday in Melbourne seems to pick up where last season left off, hinting at what could be a two-way battle between McLaren and Ferrari, just as was speculated after testing.

McLaren arrived in Australia as the favorite, partly because they appeared to have already unlocked the key to understanding their car’s baseline, while other teams still needed more time. Maranello worked hard after testing to piece together the puzzle, and so far, the preparation seems to have paid off, with Charles Leclerc immediately at ease.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Monegasque driver has been leading the charge for Ferrari in Melbourne so far. However, that was not the only key takeaway from Friday for the Scuderia. Equally intriguing is the comparison between the SF-25 and the McLaren MCL39, which highlights two very different approaches to achieving a similar lap time.

An encouraging SF-25 shines in slow corners

Compared to Bahrain testing, many factors have changed—not just the track and tire compounds but also the significantly warmer temperatures compared to Sakhir. In Bahrain, the cooler conditions helped manage rear overheating, whereas in Melbourne, the heat has made it more challenging to keep a delicate compound like the C5 under control.

The challenge isn’t just getting the tires into the optimal window at the start of the lap but keeping them there for its entire duration. A clear example is Mercedes, which performed more consistently on the harder compounds, avoiding the same peaks but lacking speed on the softer tires.

The Ferrari-McLaren battle also presents interesting contrasts in car characteristics. Looking at the data, the SF-25 still exhibits some weaknesses seen last year, particularly in ultra-high-speed corners. The direction change between Turns 9 and 10, for instance, shows the biggest deficit to McLaren, with the Ferrari losing around 6 km/h at full load.

This issue has a double negative effect: not only is time lost in the corner itself, but exiting with lower speed also impacts the following straight. When analyzing this, Ferrari’s wing choice must also be considered. The Scuderia opted for a more loaded “V” configuration, similar to testing, while McLaren took a different path.

Initially, McLaren ran a relatively low-drag setup, but the dirty track and possibly the need to protect the rear tires on the softer compounds—one of the MCL38’s issues in hotter conditions—led them to adopt a higher-downforce wing. As a result, McLaren’s top-speed advantage shrank between FP1 and FP2. However, Ferrari’s historical tendency to run more conservative engine modes on Fridays must also be factored in.

On the flip side, the SF-25 displayed strengths that compensated for its high-speed struggles—its performance in slow corners. This was a key reason why Leclerc topped the first day of practice, finishing just over a tenth ahead of the two McLarens.

It was in the final sector and Turn 3 where Ferrari made the difference over McLaren in terms of single-lap pace. However, the final sector’s split times don’t show a dominant advantage, as expected, because it includes both slow sections and high-speed Turns 9/10, balancing out the overall gain.

The most encouraging aspect is that, despite some minor imperfections, the SF-25 appears to be operating in a good window with Charles Leclerc, particularly in traction and slow-corner performance. On the other hand, Norris seemed to be holding back in some braking zones, and he has yet to find the perfect feeling on a single lap, showing more inconsistencies compared to his race pace.

A key factor will be anticipating how track conditions evolve tomorrow with more grip and higher temperatures. The race is also expected to be wet, which could lead McLaren to maintain a high-downforce setup that, even in dry conditions, might help minimize the risk of graining.

Mercedes and Red Bull chasing

At the moment, the fight at the front appears to be a two-team battle, with Mercedes and Red Bull trailing behind. Mercedes struggled primarily with keeping the softer tires, especially the C5, in the optimal window.

Looking at the data, some interesting trends emerge. With a higher rear wing load than its rivals, the W16 loses several tenths on the straights, possibly compounded by a different engine mapping approach. This is the opposite of 2024 when Mercedes tended to run more aggressive Friday settings. Beyond that, the Brackley car appears to suffer from a lack of grip in medium- and high-speed corners, especially at Turn 6 and in the fast Turn 9/10 sequence.

The performance in slow corners is more convincing, not far off McLaren’s but still a step behind Ferrari’s. It’s worth noting that Mercedes engineers worked over the winter to improve drivability in low-speed sections.

Red Bull, on the other hand, seems to have picked up where they left off last year, with a car that is difficult to understand and fine-tune. Their strengths and weaknesses appear similar to before: the RB21 is fast in high-speed sections like Turn 9/10 and on the straights—despite running a relatively low-downforce setup—but struggles in slow-speed zones. In fact, over half of Max Verstappen’s deficit to Charles Leclerc came from the final part of the third sector.