by VALERIO BARRETTA
Leclerc promotes the Ferrari SF-24
It is still early, very early, to make any judgements. With caution, however, it can be said that the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain took away some fears from the fans Ferrari. And this can be said from the comparison not so much with Red Bull, which still sees the Milton Keynes team as favorites (as is logical, after such a dominant 2023), but with the SF-23. This year's car, in fact, seems to have been born better (the drivers had had a clear impression of this in the simulator) and above all on the second day of testing it was able to make the “race” tires work in Bahrain for the entire duration of stints, which did not happen in 2023.
A Ferrari therefore more constant, than Charles Leclerc has promoted for now. And the Monegasque's smile also testifies to this, compared to last year's dark face.
Leclerc's words
“Last year it was the worst experience you could have had, you entered a corner and everything could change in the next one. This year we have a better feeling with the car, the balance is quite constant, it is therefore much easier to develop on this basis. This year the direction is already very clear“, these are the words of Leclerc a Sky Sports F1.
“Handling does a lot on used tyres, when you have a more inconsistent car with used tyres, you can feel it even more, so this year there are better sensations on the race pace too. However, we must remain calm regarding competitiveness, for my part, I believe that Red Bull is ahead but it's a personal feeling, let's see if all this is confirmed; I hope not and to see that we are ahead in the first race weekend“, continued Leclerc.
Enthusiasm yes, madness no
Leclerc, sixth today in the time rankings, is keen to reiterate that Red Bull must be considered the favourites: “In terms of competitiveness nothing can be said, I have had cars that were drivable and slow and others that were more difficult but fast. My initial feeling is that Red Bull is still the point of reference. In terms of handling there has been a step forward, we are now in a position where it is easier for us to go to the limit; there are still points to improve but they are quite clear“.
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