Frederic Vasseur traces its line at the end of the three days of testing in Bahrain. The Ferrari team principal, who spoke exclusively to the microphones of Sky Sports, took stock of his sensations in view of the start of the new season, scheduled for next week again on the Sakhir track. “There are two sides to these tests: the first is consistency and race pace. Carlos did an excellent simulation yesterday, very good and consistent. I think the car is much easier to drive: the drivers are much safer. Performance, however, still needs to be understood. It's too early to know what will happen: the important thing is to have a good base on which to develop. Last year we were strongly looking for consistency and the base of the car, while now I think we have solved it in this aspect."
Vasseur comments on Ferrari's tests in Bahrain
The sensations, therefore, are undoubtedly positive, but we still need to understand the strength of the opponents: "I honestly have no idea. Nobody knows their kilos of petrol. Yesterday they did a simulation with a much hotter track than when we did it. We still wait, next week we will have the answers we are looking for. We need to focus on ourselves”. Vasseur therefore thinks of Ferrari, even if he certainly has an idea of who could be the favourite: "It is true that if we take a look at the three days – says the Ferrari team principal – Red Bull is always at the top. We must also remember that last year we were in very bad conditions and then we managed to react. We have to think about this. We have a more robust base than 2023. Let's wait for these tests to conclude and then we will have a clearer idea".
“Red Bull remains the favourite, however”
The SF-24, however, despite the great Red Bull strength, seems to have improved. There are several aspects that seem to convince the riders and which can allow the Red team to try to start the season in the best possible way: "The main problem last year was the car's sensitivity to external factors. In aerodynamic terms we think we have made a good step forward. This can help drivers extract the most from the car and will allow us to facilitate development. You always have to be more demanding to get more. There is a step forward, but we know that it is not enough. The goal is to win races. My feeling is that Max is still faster than us, but that everyone else is very close".
