Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur believes testing has proven the side has been successful with its ambition to assemble a more predictable Formula 1 car for 2024.
The Italian marque’s SF-23, an evolution of the 2022 race-winning car, transpired to be a capricious machine from the outset that was especially vulnerable to wind sensitivity.
Ferrari has committed to an overhauled car concept for 2024 with the target of providing its drivers with a more compliant car that can remain competitive in race conditions.
Speaking at the end of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Vasseur is optimistic that Ferrari has managed to reach the development target that it had most set out to achieve.
“We can be pleased with what we’ve achieved during this test, both in terms of the mileage covered and the raft of data it has provided,” Vasseur reflected.
“On top of that, both Charles and Carlos were happy with how things went.
“These were three productive days, with no technical problems, which is what you want most, especially when it’s the only session before the start of the season.
“Our first goal was to see if the SF-24 performed predictably, not being overly sensitive to variations in the external conditions and that it was easy to drive. From what Charles and Carlos have said and looking at the consistency of their performance over a long run, it seems we were successful on this front.
“It’s very important to have the car behave like this as it means the driver can quickly get an understanding of its characteristics and then get the most out of it.”
Leclerc concluded the final day with the fastest lap, while team-mate Carlos Sainz’s quickest effort from the second day remained the benchmark time of the test.
Vasseur has cautioned that Ferrari won’t be able to confirm its progress until all the teams showcase their full potential in the opening qualifying hour of the campaign.
The Frenchman, who enters his second season at the helm of Ferrari, is anticipating that the sharp end of the grid will be decided by tight margins in the nascent rounds.
“This is just a test session and now we simply have to wait exactly one week when we will all be back on track together for the first qualifying session of the season,” he added.
“However, I feel I can say that, looking just at our own performance, we have got off on the right foot.
“I expect several top teams to all be at a very similar level and I can’t wait to see exactly how our package compares to that of our competitors.”
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