Sebastian Vettel has suggested the long-run pace demonstrated by Mercedes and Red Bull during winter testing does not give an accurate picture of the pecking order ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
On the basis of its race simulations, Mercedes appears to have the edge on Ferrari and Red Bull in terms of pure race pace. Valtteri Bottas was on average 0.55s a lap faster than Vettel's Ferrari during their long runs during the final week of testing, although the Mercedes driver stayed on the medium tyre throughout.
Vettel completed a much more realistic race strategy of super-soft/medium/medium, which ultimately may have skewed the accuracy of the final comparison.