After pre-season testing, Ferrari remains unsure of its true competitiveness, citing unpredictable weather as a major obstacle to clear conclusions.
The final day of winter testing in Sakhir proved productive for Ferrari.
However, the drivers—especially Charles Leclerc—and Frédéric Vasseur lamented the highly unstable weather, which made it difficult to gauge the Scuderia’s competitiveness against its rivals.
“This pre-season testing was very different because the weather in Bahrain was unpredictable, making any conclusions difficult. The wind changed from lap to lap, we even had rain yesterday, and temperatures fluctuated throughout the week,” commented Charles Leclerc this evening.
“This is the first time we’ve had such variable conditions. Normally, it’s hot, which we don’t like, but at least it remains consistent over the three days.”
“This time, we had a cold first day, an even colder second day with rain and strong winds, and a third day that was warmer but still windy. We tested the car in all conditions, but it made testing more complicated because understanding the direction from one day to the next was difficult, as we had to adjust the car differently each time.”
“As a result, all teams head into the first race with more unknowns than in previous years. Still, we learned a lot, particularly in terms of how the car feels now that we’re on track.”
“Overall, to sum it up, it was a positive test because we completed our full program, but we approach the first race with more question marks. And that applies to all teams.”
“We’ll return to Maranello and spend some time in the simulator, looking for the final details that could make a difference in Melbourne while also correlating simulator data with real-world sensations. We are fully focused on optimizing our performance over the coming week, and I’m really looking forward to kicking off the season.”
For Lewis Hamilton, “Overall, these past few days have been great, and we’ve made significant progress as a team. We had to finish a little earlier than planned today, and the weather was unpredictable all week, but that’s how testing goes sometimes. Still, we managed to gather a lot of useful information to build on before the season starts. The entire team has done an incredible job, and I’m really looking forward to the first race in Melbourne. I can’t wait to race against Ferrari.”
Vasseur, the team principal, reflects on the test… but clarity remains elusive.
“Yes, it was difficult to get a clear picture of the overall situation here in Bahrain because conditions changed significantly from day to day and from morning to afternoon, so it was more similar to Las Vegas than the Bahrain we usually know. Over the past six months, we’ve worked very hard on this car and made good progress, but we’ll have to wait until everyone is on track in Melbourne to understand where we stand.”
“If we look at the pecking order in previous years, what we saw here didn’t always reflect what happened in qualifying a week later under similar conditions. We’ll be going from 10-15 degrees on track to the 45 we’ll have in Australia, so Melbourne will likely be a completely different story.”
“We want to fight for both championships because we know we have two drivers capable of doing so, and the team atmosphere is very positive. We will keep working hard to be fully ready in two weeks for the start of the season.”
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Ferrari Left Guessing as Unstable Weather Clouds Testing Ferrari Left Guessing as Unstable Weather Clouds Testing Ferrari Left Guessing as Unstable Weather Clouds Testing
