Ferrari, Leclerc indicates the course: “Data in line with the simulations, it is encouraging”

Third time and many laps Charles Leclerc finished the first day of testing on the Bahrain circuit in third place in the time table. The Monegasque from Ferrari stopped just over half a second from Lando Norris’ best time, but managed to complete a total of 80 laps, compared to ‘only’ 58 for Norris who also lapped in the afternoon session. The laps completed by Lewis Hamilton during the morning must also be added to the SF-26’s total, which brings the overall total to 132. Encouraging numbers for the Cavallino team, which had already shown enviable reliability in Barcelona. “For me it was a productive half day of testing – commented Leclerc at the end of the afternoon session – because we managed to complete the program without any particular problems, which is always positive at this stage. The sensations were quite different compared to Barcelona, given that the conditions here are very different, but it is exactly what we need: to gain experience on another track and understand how the car behaves in different scenarios. So far the data is essentially in line with what we expected from the simulations, which is encouraging. Now the objective is to continue to carry out the program and make sure we arrive as prepared as possible for the first race.” The redhead’s fans are keeping their fingers crossed.