Charles Leclerc: “It was the first time that we could really push in our new car”

Charles Leclerc says there is plenty of positives to take from the opening day of pre-season testing as he set the second fastest time overall on Wednesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver had been fastest in the morning session but was beaten in the final hour by McLaren F1 Team’s Lando Norris to the fastest time, although the Monegasque racer knows times mean very little at this stage of proceedings.

Leclerc was pleased to complete all the runs planned during Wednesday in Spain, and he is eager to return to the car on Thursday to build on what he learned and find out more about the F1-75.

“The first day of testing is behind us,” said Leclerc.  “This is always a really exciting moment at the start of each season. It was the first time that we could really push in our new car and it felt really good to be back behind the wheel.

“We completed all the tests we wanted to and ran through our full programme smoothly, which is good for a new car. I’m looking forward to being back on track again tomorrow. The initial feeling is not bad, but we shouldn’t get carried away by the timesheets today, as these are early days and everyone is still hiding their true form.

“It’s impossible to have a clear picture just yet, so we have to stay focused and keep working hard. We put in a lot of laps, more than any other team today, and that’s a positive we will build on.”

“A good first day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow” – Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. took over driving duties from Leclerc in the afternoon session, and he completed seventy-three laps to add to the eighty from his team-mate.

The Spaniard was happy to be able to push the F1-75 for the first time around the Spanish circuit, and he finished third fastest overall behind Leclerc and Norris.  However, much like his team-mate, he knows times are unimportant at this early stage, and there is still plenty for everyone to learn before the season starts next month in Bahrain.

“Today was the first time I was in the car with a proper run plan, unlike the previous times when we basically did shake downs,” said Sainz. “We could finally push a bit and start learning from these cars.

“The timesheet is unimportant at this early stage, but it was very positive to put in a good number of laps and get a real feel at the wheel. We still have a lot of work to do but today we could already start feeling some differences from last year, although in terms of getting used to it I don’t feel it’s going to take too long.

“For sure the last tenths will be tricky to find, but that is the interesting part! Anyway, that’s not the aim here in Barcelona as we still have more testing ahead of the first race. A good first day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Carlos Sainz Jr. ended third fastest on day one – Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office