At the end of his second day on the track during Bahrain testing, Charles Leclerc provided an initial assessment of his feelings about the SF-24 and the on-track performance. According to the Monegasque driver, the new car is much easier to drive and represents a significant step forward, but Red Bull remains “far ahead.”
Leclerc, in his post-track session interview on the second day of testing in Bahrain, presented a two-sided perspective. The Prancing Horse driver topped the morning session, at least before it was interrupted due to a loose drain cover two hours before the checkered flag.
Before the interruption, Charles Leclerc had completed several runs with the same program, executing two fast laps interspersed with a pit lane visit. The Ferrari engineers repeated the same plan on four occasions to assess the car’s reactions to setup changes. Only in the final part of the session did Leclerc embark on a long run on the C3 compound but was forced to stop due to damage and the session interruption.
The SF-24 suffered damages requiring the replacement of the floor. Fortunately, the damage did not appear as extensive as initially thought, as it did not affect the chassis. The mechanics promptly replaced the floor with a spare, while the damaged unit will return to Maranello for necessary repairs.
Leclerc shared his experience with F1TV, stating, “It wasn’t huge, in the end. There was a hole in the floor that we had to replace. But other than that, no, I had no warning. I saw something, but honestly, it was so thin that I thought it was something plastic. Sometimes, we see some on the track, and we run over them without anything happening. But this time, it was obviously metal, and so it damaged the car a bit more.”
To make up for lost time, Charles Leclerc was given the opportunity to return to the track in the first hour of the extended afternoon session, allowing teams more consistent running. Leclerc took advantage of this opportunity to complete a long stint of eighteen laps with the C3 compound, the “intermediate” and more flexible option in Pirelli’s slick range for testing.
Charles Leclerc refrained from providing extensive details about the SF-24’s on-track performance compared to rivals but emphasized improvements in the drivability of Ferrari’s new car, defining it as a step forward from the SF-23. The previous season’s car had proven to be unpredictable, making it more challenging for drivers to establish confidence in the vehicle. Leclerc attributed part of this challenge to the high sensitivity to wind caused by the car’s aerodynamic mapping. This has been completely revised in this year’s car, partly to address this issue.
Drivability was a crucial aspect of Ferrari’s development, addressing pilot feedback. While updates during the previous season aimed for a more consistent balance, Leclerc stated that a significant step forward had been made this year.
“In terms of drivability, the car has improved a lot compared to last year. But last year, after the test, it was very, very difficult to push in one direction because we didn’t know what the car was doing,” Charles Leclerc recounted, reflecting on his struggles to understand the SF-23’s behavior a year ago.
Arriving at a corner, we didn’t know if we would have extreme oversteer or extreme understeer. That was a big problem. This year the car is not like that, and that’s a better starting point,” added Charles Leclerc, highlighting the improvements made during the winter that left him smiling.
According to Charles Leclerc, the fact that the car reacts as predicted by the simulator will accelerate development. “The car behaves as it does in the simulator, so that’s a good sign. Then, in terms of competitiveness, it’s too early to say. In itself, the fact that it behaves exactly like in the simulator is good news. It allows us to develop the car at the Maranello simulator, and that’s positive.”
Leclerc believes that the improvements in drivability will also contribute to a step forward in tire management, enabling a cleaner driving style without making significant compromises to extract maximum potential. “I think drivability will help us in the long run. So I think, in terms of tire degradation, for race laps in general, I think we should be in a better position.”
However, the Ferrari driver also tried to temper easy enthusiasm, emphasizing that, from his perspective, Red Bull is still a step ahead, making it once again the top contender for the title. “However, my initial feeling is that Red Bull, unfortunately, is still far ahead. They did some really impressive lap times. But this is just my feeling, without looking at the data because, in this case too, the data doesn’t mean much for now.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.
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