Bringing a new car to its debut always feels special. For Charles Leclerc, it’s nothing new, as he has already had the chance to take the first laps in a new car during his years at Maranello, but this year it feels slightly different.
The desire to win remains unchanged, just like in previous years, as does the Monegasque driver’s drive to fight for the desired results. However, this year there is great enthusiasm around the Scuderia, not only due to the arrival of a champion like Lewis Hamilton but also because of the work done by the engineers, with an optimism that also shows in Ferrari’s words.
Frederic Vasseur explained that to reach the declared goal, the world title, a revolution of the SF-24 was not necessary, but rather a reasoned evolution, especially considering the outcome of the past season, where the Scuderia finished with a competitive car and achieved some satisfactions.
It is from that base that the engineers started, with part of the floor being an evolution of the experimental one tested at the end of the previous year. Ferrari wants to bring all the elements together to capture a title that eluded them in 2024.
Charles Leclerc is especially dreaming of it, believing that this year the whole Ferrari team has done an incredible job to be ready not only for the first test next week in Sakhir but also to bring a competitive car to the track.
“My desire to become world champion has always been the same. I love what I do, I love Ferrari, and I want to win with Ferrari. Winning the title in red would be something incredible. I’m doing everything I can to try to make it happen as quickly as possible, and I hope this is the right year,” said the Monegasque to Sky Italia microphones after the first filming day.
“We’ve worked really well, not just me training but the whole team. They’ve worked to ensure we arrive at the first tests as prepared as possible. We’ve done many days in the simulator, many laps, and it was positive to prepare for this first day and the tests.”
Clearly, the final word will come only from the track, with the stopwatch being the only real tool to find the answers sought. However, the premises are very positive, especially since this winter is very different from the last one. If twelve months ago Ferrari was coming off the dominance of Red Bull and had completely changed its aerodynamic concept, this year the SF-25 is an evolution of its predecessor, hoping to have made a step forward in the key areas.
After a strong finish to last season, with a grid that often proved very close and open to surprises, the goal is to aim high. For this reason, Charles Leclerc did not hide that if, at the end of the year, neither of the two world titles was won, the season could be a disappointment. The goal, however, is to ensure that this doesn’t happen and that the year can be closed with a smile, writing a page of Ferrari history.
“Last year we finished second in the constructors’ and I was very disappointed. So, the goal now is to win. That’s always the right goal for Ferrari, so when you’re in red, you have to aim to win. I would certainly be disappointed if we didn’t win both titles, but we’ll do everything we can to win,” Charles Leclerc said.
Charles Leclerc was also the driver who opened the debut with the SF-25, bringing the new car to its first outing after returning from the London presentation at 4:30 in the morning, only to be back on track at Fiorano for the first meeting with the engineers at 7:30.
Clearly, it’s too early to draw conclusions, as the filming day is more of an initial contact with the car, although both drivers had the opportunity to push and start to feel the car.
The first impressions, however, are positive, and above all, the team did not encounter any negative surprises in the first 200 kilometers of testing: “I would always like to feel more, especially on such an important first day, with so much enthusiasm, because it’s the first time we drive this car,” Charles Leclerc said.
“As for the sensations, the positive aspect is that there were no negative surprises, which is what we look for in the first laps. We didn’t encounter any unexpected feelings or numbers, that wasn’t the case today, and that’s the good news. Going beyond is very difficult for now, but the feeling was good, and the atmosphere was incredible.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.
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