Leclerc: “We start behind Red Bull, but the goal remains the title”

The Red Bull RB19 terrorized the competition in three days of development testing, while Ferrari didn’t reveal the full speed of the SF-23 – but there are concerns about the handling of its tires on laps of the race.

The true dynamics of the Ferrari SF-23 remain a mystery ahead of the first Formula 1 GP over the three days (March 3-5) in Bahrain. Even for Red Bull, according to Italian journalist Giuliano Ducesa, a Milton Keynes source reports “We know more or less where Mercedes is, more or less where Aston Martin is, but frankly we don’t know where Ferrari is.”

The words of the new director of the Scuderia, Fred Wasser, in view of the three days in Bahrain, in no way clarified this ambiguity: “You have to keep in mind that the game will be a very different story than what we’ve been doing for the past three days.”said the Frenchman. “The moment Charles made it [γρήγορο] Around him, the Asfatos had a temperature of 55 degrees.

The race will be held at 6 or 7 p.m. and there will be a different story in the qualifying tests as well. We have to look at testing as testing, not FP1 of the Bahrain race. In that regard, I think we’ve done a good job of scanning large parts of the car, looking at the lap benches and making improvements to the car.”added water.

But at yesterday’s Shakir press conference, Charles Leclerc seemed to have no doubts that the Ferrari SF-23 is a bit behind the Red Bull RB19 for now: “They started pretty strong, Red Bull and Max are looking strong. These were tests, of course, but it seems that they are a bit ahead of us.”said the Monegasque.

“We still have a bit of work to do, but the goal is to move up one place. We didn’t show everything [στις δοκιμές]. Red Bull didn’t show everything either. We will only see in the ranking tests. It’s hard to say where we are, but the overall picture tells me we’re a little behind.”he added.

However, he went on to say that nothing is over until it begins: “It’s too early to tell [πόσο μπροστά είναι η Red Bull], and it’s hard to judge times from tests because they depend on the time of day you write them down. So let’s wait and see how far we are. Finally, I have full confidence in my team and the upgrades [του μονοθεσίου] that we bring. We have a picture of what we’re going to bring in the coming months and they’re looking positive.”

Two days earlier, when asked who he sees as Ferrari’s biggest rival at the start of the season, the 25-year-old Scuderia driver said: “I’m sure Mercedes will be in the fight. And I’ve heard a lot about Aston Martin over the winter. She was fast on the first day [των δοκιμών]but you don’t know the amount of fuel, engine mode and much more.

Although Leclerc has had to slightly change his driving style for the SF-23 and is still searching for the ideal settings, both he and Vasseur confirmed that Scuderia is going into the first Formula 1 race of the season quite well prepared.

“It’s too early to say how fast the SF-23 really is. Everything we expected, we achieved on the track. There weren’t any major surprises and the settings were constantly being worked on round after round. It was important that we didn’t have any problems and now we can focus on improving the overall feeling [του αυτοκινήτου]‘ emphasized the Monegasque.

“We can only speak about our first impressions and are not yet at the optimal level of use. Our feel is similar to last year’s finish, and certain parameters will benefit the SF-23’s performance – such as ground level.” Leclerc Castle.

And water added: “Testing went well and over the past three days the car seemed to live up to our expectations. And now we need to fine-tune it to get the most out of it. The fluctuating temperatures, wind and new Pirelli tires will make it difficult to get the settings right, but both Carlos and Charles have collected a lot of data over the three days of testing so we’re obviously well prepared for three good days. “

Carlos Sainz emphasized that Ferrari is always his goal “Poly position on Saturday and win on Sunday. The goal in tests is always to do them without problems and we achieved that. I want to go to the games hoping that we can win them. The team had good ones Tests, we understood the car very well and that definitely gives me a good feeling.”said the Spaniard.