Sebastian Vettel thought Mercedes was “in a league of their own” during practice at the Australian Grand Prix.
The German manufacturer largely dominated Friday in Melbourne, while Ferrari’s anticipated advantage based on pre-season failed to materialise.
In fact, Vettel was only fifth fastest, behind both Red Bulls and 0.8s slower than pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, and when it was suggested Mercedes’ sudden improvement was “unsurprising”, his response was telling.
“Unsurprisingly? Did you say unsurprisingly?” he retorted. “What was all that bullsh*t about with them being out of shape and so on? I didn’t understand that, to be honest. So it was a bit of a surprise, yes!
“I think they looked really quick, and I don’t know if it was just us struggling a bit today or others, but as a matter of fact, they were in a league of their own.
“Maybe everyone else was struggling and then we can turn it around, but they looked very strong and much stronger than they claimed before the weekend.”
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As for what happened to Ferrari’s expected pace, which was also slower on a longer run than Mercedes, Vettel admitted the SF90 wasn’t where he wanted.
“Yeah, [we lacked] confidence,” he said. “It was a tricky day for us and probably a tricky day for everyone.
“For us we are not where we would like to be – not in terms of lap time but in terms of car feel and handling. We didn’t really get into the groove and rhythm and that’s quite important around here.
“So if we can get that confidence and that groove back, there is a lot of lap time in that around here.”
Vettel’s teammate Charles Leclerc also slipped down ending the day only ninth and having a moment when he spun on the exit kerb at Turn 4.
