Ferrari doesn't want to cheer too soon: 'Everyone's hiding their true form'

Charles Leclerc was allowed to take the lead in the morning session, while Carlos Sainz took the wheel from him in the afternoon. Together, Ferrari drove the most kilometres of the day with 153 laps. Both drivers also managed to set a time in the top three, although this doesn't say much.

Leclerc gives his first reaction on Ferrari's website. "We completed all the tests we wanted to and ran through our full programme smoothly, which is good for a new car. I’m looking forward to being back on track again tomorrow. The initial feeling is not bad, but we shouldn’t get carried away by the timesheets today, as these are early days and everyone is still hiding their true form. It’s impossible to have a clear picture just yet, so we have to stay focused and keep working hard. We put in a lot of laps, more than any other team today, and that’s a positive we will build on".

Sainz sounds positive about his Ferrari

Ferrari's goal on the first day consisted of testing the car over a longer distance, which they certainly succeeded in doing. The drivers also had to find confidence in the all-new F1-75. Tomorrow both Sainz and Leclerc will be back in action, but this time Sainz will be the first to take his seat in his Ferrari. He too is reacting cautiously because it was only the first day of testing, but still the Spaniard sounds optimistic.

"The timesheet is unimportant at this early stage, but it was very positive to put in a good number of laps and get a real feel at the wheel. We still have a lot of work to do but today we could already start feeling some differences from last year, although in terms of getting used to it I don’t feel it’s going to take too long. For sure the last tenths will be tricky to find, but that is the interesting part!"