F1, Ferrari: first testing day dedicated to data collection, SF-25 performance work starts tomorrow
Yesterday at 04:07 PM
Almost 800 kilometers without setbacks. “It's always positive to have a session without unexpected problems that could affect the work schedule,” commented Charles Leclerc. The first eight hours of running for the SF-25 ended smoothly, with the planned tests by the Scuderia’s engineers—entirely focused on the “break-in” of the new project—not including performance checks on the car.
However, in the afternoon session, Charles Leclerc still managed to produce some interesting laps that placed him fourth on the timesheets. “It's still too early to draw conclusions about our performance,” Charles emphasized. “We’ll analyze today's data carefully and use what we've learned tonight when we resume work tomorrow.”
Ferrari followed a similar program with both drivers, with the only difference being track conditions, which favored Charles Leclerc in terms of lap times as he drove in the afternoon session. In the morning session, Hamilton completed his first laps with the SF-25 fitted with large aerodynamic rakes for data collection. Afterward, Lewis Hamilton carried out the classic car mapping work, necessary to verify the correlation with the data from preliminary simulator work, which showed positive results.
After starting the day on C2 tires, Lewis Hamilton switched to C3s during several runs with different aerodynamic configurations and fuel loads. He also dedicated significant time to practice starts—almost every pit lane exit saw Lewis familiarizing himself with a new system—progressively improving his feeling.
“Our program allowed us to try different things,” commented Lewis. “The goal was to collect as much data as possible and get familiar with the car, and we’ve already learned a lot today. It’s too early to really understand the absolute performance, but everything seems to be going in the right direction, and as a team, we’re working on optimizing every run. There's still a lot to do in the coming days to complete our program and understand the car as best as we can, and I’m looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, the Monegasque and the Briton will take to the track in the same order. The risk of rain (currently at 30%) could affect the morning session. In the afternoon, Charles Leclerc will begin performance work, a phase that Lewis Hamilton will complete on Friday when Charles takes to the track in the first session of the day.
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