The 3-day pre-season Formula One testing, the first appearance of Lewis Hamilton as a Scuderia Ferrari driver, has concluded. While it couldn’t provide conclusive results regarding the pecking order in the paddock, it did give some interesting information about the state of each car. It seems that the new and improved SF-25 might have a chance to fight for race wins and podiums, but is it as good as the tifosi had hoped it would be? What do Ferrari’s drivers have to say about it?
No one can deny that Hamilton is one of the best Formula One drivers in history. After all, the numbers he’s achieved speak for themselves and he is still hungry for more. His move to Ferrari was powered by the desire to do what no one has done before and win the World Drivers’ Championship for the eighth time. Will the SF-25 be the car to do it with?
After the testing ended, he seemed to be in a rather good mood, stating: “I would say this is the most positive feeling that I’ve had in a long time”. He also mentioned that, in general, he enjoyed driving the car much more than he had the one Mercedes provided him with the year prior.
Well versed in the world of PR, Hamilton didn’t provide any specifics, claiming that it would be hard to say anything for certain before the season opener in Melbourne. This could lead more optimistic fans to believe that there is no possibility for the season going badly, but premature celebrations might be dangerous.
After all, Ferrari did not finish the last day of testing and packed up the garage much earlier than most other teams. The official reason was “an anomaly in the telemetry”. Many amateur data analysts poured over Hamilton’s last laps and determined that his long race run times were quite bad when compared to other teams. The main culprit seemed to be a high level of tyre degradation. For a team known to have struggled with that exact issue, it doesn’t seem like a great sign.
On the other side of the garage, there is Charles Leclerc, a man seemingly born and raised to be a Ferrari driver, someone who lives and bleeds red. In the hearts of all Italians, he is the king of the track, and the results of his past seasons show that he has the numbers to back the title. So far, the team has not been able to give him a car good enough to win championships. Is that about to change?
After testing, Leclerc also assured the media that things looked good. Like Hamilton before him, he stated that he wouldn’t be able to say just how good until Melbourne. He was seen smiling around in the paddock and didn’t seem too stressed even when the testing times didn’t seem to come together. This gave all Ferrari fans hope that he knew something they didn’t.
On the other hand, as mentioned, some of Leclerc’s testing times didn’t seem too promising, especially when compared to those of Lando Norris. The two could usually be seen on track at similar times so their laps were performed in very similar conditions. Not to mention the spin Leclerc had during the second day of testing, and his uncharacteristic lack of confidence on the brakes.
Even during Leclerc’s optimistic talks with the reporters, he mentioned that the car balance was still something the team needed to work on. Was it just the tests, or is he not entirely convinced of the SF-25’s capabilities?
The disappointing long race runs, less-than-perfect balance of the car, and the concerning levels of tire degradation do not fill the tifosi with confidence. Ferrari is still generally placed among the top four contenders for the Constructors’ Championship, but it seems to be closer to the 3rd and 4th spot than to the literal front of the field. McLaren came out of the testing with the winning hand and it’s hard to tell just how big the gap is between them and their Italian rivals.
Of course, it is entirely too early to declare where the SF-25 lies in comparison to the others, and whether it will avoid the problems many have come to associate with Ferrari’s cars. But with the two drivers seemingly content with its power, the season ahead looks promising for those who have the prancing horse in their heart.
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