Charles Leclerc expressed enthusiasm after his first test day in Barcelona. On Tuesday the Monegasque took the morning session of the closed shakedown. After a few short demonstration laps at Ferrari’s test circuit this was his first real introduction to the SF-26. Due to the weather conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya the Scuderia did not push to the limit, but the team did manage to complete the full test programme.
“It’s good to be back in a completely new car,” Charles Leclerc said after his morning run. “It’s totally different from what we’ve been used to over the past few years. During these tests it’s mainly about checking that everything functions correctly, and it did,” he said, satisfied. “The conditions were obviously not ideal, but we were able to run through our programmes. We weren’t performance-focused at all; it was mainly about verifying all the new systems and seeing whether everything works as it should. And it did, so that’s positive.”
‘This year offers opportunities’
“Everything went as it should,” Leclerc stressed. “We will now go through our checklist step by step to eventually arrive at what matters most: performance. That will probably only come into play later during these three days. First we try to understand how everything behaves, and then we’ll see how it goes.” The 28-year-old driver is particularly curious about how Ferrari compares to the competition in that respect. “I’m very excited,” he said with a laugh. “I’m eager to see what the others have up their sleeves and when we can start to push harder to see where we stand against the rest.”
“This year gives every team the chance to try something different and possibly gain a bigger advantage than in recent years,” he continued. “I hope we are that team. But regardless of our starting position we will do everything to bring Ferrari back to the top. It’s been a while, so hopefully this will be our year.” The Scuderia finished a close second in the 2024 constructors’ championship, but lost ground last year. The team ended up fourth, behind McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.
