'Smoothest' testing so far gives Leclerc a boost

©Ferrari

Charles Leclerc was happy to report his smoothest testing yet since making his Formula 1 debut in 2018, and is hoping this bodes well for the new season which starts next weekend.

In this week's pre-season test in Bahrain, Ferrari continued to demonstrate the pace and reliability it had previously done in February's shakedown in Barcelona. Even so, Leclerc certainly isn't getting carried away at this early stage.

“It’s definitely one of the smoothest preparations I’ve had," Leclerc said of his time on track so far in the new F1-75. “No major issues, and especially on such a new project you always expect to find some barriers on the way."

Read also: Binotto says Ferrari only 'outsiders' – Mercedes, Red Bull remain favourites

The biggest problem the team has encountered so far has been 'porpoising", where the car bounces down long straights due to the reintroduction of ground effect downforce. But Ferrari have been far from alone experiencing that headache.

"For now, apart from porpoising which is still an issue in some conditions, it’s been quite smooth and we’ve managed to just keep improving," he insisted. "It’s definitely been a smoother six days of testing."

But as smooth as it's been for Ferrari, Leclerc admitted that still he had no idea how the team would fare in next week's season opener.

"For now I honestly have no idea where we are," he said. "Red Bull have quite a new package today, Mercedes had a completely new car and didn’t show their potential.

"Actually everyone seems to be quite close at some point or another," he added. "It’s very, very difficult and that’s why I think we need to really stay cautious."

One thing that the team can judge in isolation is the reliability of their 2022 package, and on this alone Ferrari can definitely feel positive - as Leclerc's team mate Carlos Sainz explained.

"We’ve got it really right to be able to run all the six days of testing without creating a red flag, without having a single issue on track," the Spanish driver pointed out.

“I think this is the priority number one that has allowed us to complete our test programme, and to arrive at the first race as ready as we can be.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.