Formula 1

Ferrari struggles with drag, Red Bull powerful – Leclerc

Published

1 month ago

25/02/2023

Ferrari struggles with drag Red Bull powerful Leclerc

According to Leclerc, Ferrari is having difficulty with cornering due to their car having higher drag, while Red Bull is described as being extremely powerful.

Charles Leclerc has expressed that Ferrari needs to put in some effort as they have “got some work to do”, and he believes that Red Bull appears to be in a very formidable position leading up to the first race of the season next week.

Ferrari made an effort to enhance the straight-line speed of their vehicle as compared to the previous year. Leclerc thinks that they have achieved this goal, but in doing so, they have compromised their performance in other aspects that now require improvement.

Leclerc shared with media, including F1Lead in Bahrain, that he believes the modifications were made in a suitable manner and that they now have a car with less drag, which should lead to better results this season. However, the changes have affected all the car’s features, as anticipated, and the team still needs to determine the optimal setup to adapt to these new characteristics.

Leclerc also mentioned that he anticipates Ferrari to be slightly faster on the straight portions of the track, but they may face some difficulties in the corners. Based on the three-day test, he noted that the team is still working on identifying the ideal setup for the car. Therefore, he hopes there is still some leeway to enhance the car’s performance as they haven’t found the perfect setup yet.

During the initial phase of the final day of testing, Leclerc registered the quickest lap time, thus far. He has finished his pre-season testing allocation.

Leclerc stated that they had an extremely rigorous and demanding three-day testing period. He further added that even though the bulk of the testing is over, they still have some tests left to conduct in the afternoon.

Leclerc mentioned that the focus of the first day was centered on conducting extensive scans and assessments to determine how accurately the data gathered on the track matched the information the team had collected back at the factory before the test. He was pleased to report that the results were quite favorable, and there was a high level of conformity between the two sets of data.

Leclerc shared that they encountered some challenges on the second day, particularly with regard to setting up the car in the correct manner. While things improved somewhat this morning, there is still some work to be done to get everything dialed in perfectly.

Leclerc pointed out that the latest Ferrari SF-23 has unique handling characteristics that distinguish it from its predecessor. He mentioned that the new car requires a slightly different driving technique to get the most out of it. Nevertheless, that’s precisely what the testing phase is intended for, to determine the car’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing the team to adapt their driving style accordingly.

Leclerc shared that he has been experimenting with various driving styles throughout the testing phase. He reported that he has finally found an approach that worked well for him this morning. Nonetheless, he reiterated that there is still more work to be done to optimize the car’s performance.

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