Leclerc was fast on Friday. Norris and Piastri were both incredibly strong. Lewis Hamilton ...was also there, and outpaced the reigning champ in FP2. At this point, it's pretty clear that Verstappen is driving – at best – the third best car on the grid. Hell, the Mercedes looked great on long runs too.

Formula 1 defending champion Max Verstappen downplayed Red Bull's chances at Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, saying the car is slower than their rivals and still working through some issues.