Charles Leclerc did not seek performance

Charles Leclerc was not supposed to drive on Wednesday, but Sebastian Vettel, who was unwell, had to give up his seat even though he was present for the photo with the other 19 full-time drivers.

Leclerc learned that he had to take over two hours before the start of the tests, but it didn’t disturb him.

The youngest poleman in history and his team focused on in-depth work on the new car. The team concentrated on setup in the morning and conducted aerodynamic tests with different fuel loads during the second part of the day.

Unlike last year, Ferrari didn’t want to immediately seek performance. After 131 laps, Charles Leclerc still doesn’t have a clear idea of the potential performance level of his car.

« We have slightly changed our approach compared to last year. » declared Leclerc. « Last season, the tests were excellent, but the first race was a bit less so, however. »

« I think we learned some things about it, and this year, we decided to focus more on ourselves, trying to get to know the car as best as possible during these first days, and then focus on performance a bit later. We’ll see if it pays off. » comments the Monegasque.

In general, the first day of testing is primarily for engineers who collect numerous data in order to analyze and compare it with those gathered at the factory.

Leclerc adds that “The drivers don’t learn much. Yet, behind the wheel of a new car, I always try to push it to the limit,” he continues.

« We didn’t do it today, but I tried to acquire as much knowledge of the car as possible. The more laps we do, the more confident I’ll be arriving in Melbourne, so on that front, driving-wise, I learned a lot, and the different tests we conducted were very positive. »