F1 is back with the 2024 pre-season testing underway. Drivers finally have a chance to drive F1 cars once again and get a feel for their teams’ latest challengers. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in the thick of things on Day 1 of testing and returned to the paddock with positive results. An update on X (formerly Twitter) by user @Leclerc Data quoted Sky Sports’ Mara Sangiorgio as she detailed the happy spark in Leclerc’s eyes after he drove the SF-24.
“I had no occasion to speak to Charles [Leclerc] yet. I’ll do it tomorrow, but he looks a bit more serene (compared to last year) from his face, in his eyes. We always say his eyes speak for him. Well, it looks like a more cheered up Charles Leclerc.”, Sangiorgio said.
Max Verstappen led both the sessions on Day 1 with ease, posting the day’s best lap time of 1:31.344. Leclerc’s best time came at 1:33.247, meaning he was 1.903 seconds slower than Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver ran 142 laps, while Leclerc only drove for 64 laps, switching seats with Carlos Sainz. Add that with the porpoising issues of the SF23 many believe Ferrari had a decent outing in Bahrain.
#F1 Pre-season testing has just started
2024 gonna be lit pic.twitter.com/uLYN78Gv6J— Crypto Feras (@CryptoFeras) February 21, 2024
Notably, Leclerc only drove in the morning session on Day 1. His best time was the second-best on the grid at the end of the session. Verstappen held the lead after the session, but he was only 0.699 seconds ahead of the Monegasque driver.
Ferrari’s overall progress was further indicated by the fact that Carlos Sainz was the third-fastest driver of the day. He secured a time of. 1:32.584, meaning he was 1.240 seconds behind Verstappen and only 0.100 seconds slower than second-placed Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc reflects on the SF-24
Following their car launch, Leclerc and Sainz took the SF-24 out for a spin at Ferrari’s Fiorano track. Leclerc earlier assessed the car on the simulator and felt his team had made a significant step forward. However, he wanted to wait and see if the real-world results would correlate with the simulations.
Once he got to drive around in the SF-24, Leclerc’s initial assessment claimed the new car was more easy to drive around. He said as quoted by Motorsport.com, “This year, the car feels healthier and in a better place.”
Jump onboard the SF-24 as @Carlossainz55 & @Charles_Leclerc get their first laps in for 2024! #SF24 #F1 pic.twitter.com/QhwxlZjNUb
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2024
However, Leclerc added it doesn’t necessarily mean anything about the competitiveness of the car. He claimed that while it was easier to drive the car, there was no guarantee of how fast it would be.
If other teams make a significant leap in terms of pace, an easier car to drive wouldn’t be enough, as they, too, would need to be faster. Thus, he believes Ferrari might need to wait until the Australian GP (Round 3) to find out where they lie in the pecking order.
