Strong long run pace made up for an underwhelming P5 for Max Verstappen in Friday Practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman found himself trailing both Ferraris and both Mercedes' in the second session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, albeit only a third of a second slower than pacesetter Charles Leclerc.
However, in the hot conditions, the world champion's race simulation was unmatched as Red Bull once again appear to be the kings of tyre preservation.
“Overall it’s been a good day," Verstappen commented post-session. "The long runs look positive so we can be happy with that.
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"It has been a bit tricky to find the right balance with the heat and we still have a lot of work to do over one lap, just need to try and find the middle way.
"It’s tough on the tyres around here, we are not on top of that just yet, but at least we know the weather will be consistent tomorrow.
"I’m looking forward to pushing hard as a team come qualifying."
Teammate Sergio Perez was P7 as he played catch up in the second session, after Red Bull gave junior driver Juri Vips a run in the RB18 in FP1.
And the Mexican explained how high tyre degradation around the Spanish circuit makes it tough to assess the car's true performance.
“Everything comes fast when you miss a session," he said. "I was getting up to speed this afternoon and experiencing the tyre degradation.
"It means you basically have two laps because it is not a track that helps you with the tyres. You have one lap to read the balance and then after that, you are just getting up to speed but you don’t have great grip.
"I was able to get a read on the long runs and hopefully overnight I can find the time I need to be in contention for the fight for pole," he continued.
Just a few laps today, working extra hours tonight to find the tenths that allow us to be in the fight tomorrow 💪
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) May 20, 2022
Pocas vueltas hoy, trabajo extra esta noche para encontrar algunas décimas para estar en la pelea mañana 👊🏻 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/hWEjuxPIjF
"I will do some extra work on low fuel in the morning during FP3 to see which direction to take, but we are confident we know."
