The first day of free practice ended with a sixth place for Charles Leclerc, behind the Red Bull duo and Fernando Alonso, but also Esteban Ocon and the surprise Nico Hulkenberg, who clearly squeezed something more out of his Power Unit as demonstrated the speeds on the draws.
However, rather than on the weather, the attention of the Reds today was mainly focused on the new and long-awaited package that made its debut here in Barcelona. New paces that represent the first step in a new technical and development direction, a revised bottom and various small details revisited in shapes and lines.
The Monegasque was only able to test the aerodynamic innovations in the second free practice session, while in the first session he rode with the old package, in order to be able to complete a direct comparison with Carlos Sainz, who instead rode with the latest modifications since morning. The fine-tuning work was quite intense and Barcelona represents a good track for obtaining the first precious data.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“First of all, we had very few new parts on the car, but I think it’s a great track to test these new upgrades. The feeling is quite good. We still have a lot to do to optimize this new package, but the sensations were quite good.”
Step by step, we try to push the car more and more and go to places we haven’t reached yet because we haven’t had time. It’s a normal process, which consists of having new parts and slowly going in the desired direction,” Leclerc explained in the interviews.
The Monegasque did not want to say too much about the potential of the updated single-seater in view of tomorrow, even if Red Bull clearly remains the big favourite: “I think the fight is tighter than ever. Apart from Red Bull, which at the moment has a car that has nothing to envy from the others, especially in terms of race pace, everyone else seems to be more or less there. So, I think whoever is in front will be the one who does the perfect lap in qualifying.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
One aspect that emerged quite clearly, however, is that the SF-23 showed a lot of bouncing in the last sector, especially in the last two corners, a high-speed stretch that also has a rather bumpy asphalt. The Reds weren’t the only ones to suffer from it, but it’s probably the top team that highlighted this problem more markedly.
Looking forward to Sunday, with the track now featuring a high-speed zone instead of the slow chicane used in previous years, the stress on the tires has also increased, so it will be important to be able to manage the tires not only over one lap, but even and above all in the long run.
“I like the circuit. It’s a bigger challenge than it was before, because the last corner is very fast. But above all, tire management is a fundamental aspect, even more so than it was before. So, it will be an exciting race.”
Read also:
