Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has revealed that everything is going to plan for Ferrari during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The Monegasque and Carlos Sainz have managed 230 laps so far in the first two days of the second test at the Sakhir International Circuit, increasing their total to 668 between the test this week and last month’s running in Barcelona.
They have consistently been within close proximity of the top of the timing screens, with Sainz setting the second fastest time on day one and day two, pipped by AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and then Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
Overall, Leclerc is pleased with his team’s progress while remaining infinitely aware that the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull still have a lot up their sleeve.
“Another session with a lot of tests completed this morning. We are learning a lot about our car as well as the tyres, which are still relatively new to us,” he said on Ferrari’s socials after day two.
“The balance seems to be good and I feel comfortable so far, but we have to keep in mind that the time sheets don’t mean anything and there is still a lot more to come from our competitors.
“What is positive is that we have been consistent and have had no issues so far. We will keep working to learn as much as we can on our final day tomorrow.”
Sainz gave a similar assessment of the day’s running, and confirms that the Maranello squad have been able to gain a more profound understanding of the new 18-inch tyres introduced amongst a barrage of new technical regulations in 2022.
“A bit of a strange afternoon with track conditions changing a lot from run to run, especially the strong wind which made it difficult to be consistent on the short runs and to get a good understanding of each compound and how they compared to one another,” he added.
“We will analyse everything tonight and prepare a good run plan for tomorrow, as there are quite a few things I still want to test on the last day. In general, another positive day for the team.”