Frederic Vasseur struck a cautiously optimistic tone after Charles Leclerc and Ferrari capped off pre-season testing in Bahrain with an eye-catching performance. Speaking to Sky Italia, the Frenchman emphasized that while the test had been encouraging, it was far too early to draw firm conclusions about the true competitive order.

Ferrari drew significant attention in the final test after introducing a revolutionary rear wing design, capable of rotating approximately 255 degrees, aimed at optimising straight-line performance. Combined with their smaller turbo engine concept, the package appeared particularly strong during practice starts, where both drivers demonstrated rapid launches.

Leclerc finished the final day on top of the timesheets with a 1:31.922, edging Lando Norris by 0.879 seconds. He was the only driver to dip into the 1:31 bracket and also topped the second day of running, marking two consecutive days at the summit, an apparent statement of intent from the Scuderia.

However, Vasseur was keen to temper expectations. He reiterated that testing performance was highly relative, influenced by fuel loads, engine modes, and programme variations. According to him, neither outright pace nor mileage alone was sufficient to define the pecking order ahead of the season opener.

Commenting on the testing day and Leclerc’s timings, the Ferrari team principal said:

“So far everything has gone well. We must keep in mind that the goal of the week was to accumulate a lot of kilometers, collect a lot of data and start preparing the season on a solid basis. In this sense, we can say that the objectives have been set and that we have a fair amount of reliability. The performance is relative because in the end we don’t know the fuel level of others, we don’t know the engine mappings and we know that some didn’t use certain types of tires. We have the fastest time here but it has nothing to do with what will happen in two weeks in Melbourne so we don’t have to draw any conclusions.”

Frederic Vasseur hailed a satisfactory preseason test for Ferrari in Bahrain

Frederic Vasseur expressed satisfaction with Ferrari’s execution across the two weeks of pre-season testing in Bahrain, praising the mileage and the quality of data collected. While he avoided making bold predictions, he acknowledged that the team had gathered enough encouraging signs in terms of reliability and baseline performance to build on as the season progresses.

Vasseur highlighted that Ferrari completed its planned test programmes and gained a clearer understanding of the new package, an essential objective under sweeping regulation changes. From his perspective, operational efficiency and learning were just as important as lap times.

Given the limited visibility into rival programmes, including fuel loads, engine modes, and long-run simulations, his caution was understandable. Even though Charles Leclerc placed Ferrari at the top of the timesheets on two consecutive days, the true competitive picture remains obscured.

Commenting in a team statement about Ferrari’s testing in Bahrain, Vasseur said:

“It has been a positive test overall, but we have to keep in mind that the priority was to complete a lot of mileage and build a strong foundation for the season. From this point of view, the test was productive and allowed us to gather valuable data and improve our understanding of the car. As always in testing, it is very difficult to draw conclusions in terms of performance, as we don’t know the programmes of the other teams. Our focus was on ourselves and on making continuous progress.”

Ferrari endured a challenging 2025 campaign, with a clear performance deficit and recurring reliability concerns compromising its competitiveness. It finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, while drivers could only manage fifth and sixth in the standings. The Italian marque has not celebrated a Drivers’ World Championship since Kimi Raikkonen secured the title in 2007, and their last Constructors’ crown dates back to 2008. For a team of Ferrari’s stature and legacy, that drought has intensified scrutiny and pressure in recent seasons to return to consistent race-winning form and operate at the level expected of a front-running outfit.

Encouragingly, the recent pre-season test programme suggested progress compared to 2025, particularly in terms of stability and baseline pace.