Shortly following the first session of Day 3’s preseason testing, the results showed that Charles Leclerc had topped the timesheets; the Monegasque clocked 1m31.024s. So are we to expect that the Ferrari driver will finally end the long title drought of the team this year? Possibly, since the 25-year-old believes that the new Ferrari SF-23 is a little faster than their F1-75 drive from last year. But what changes did Ferrari bring in to make this happen? And how are they planning to capitalize on one of the key strengths of their rivals? Let’s find out.

Ferrari had a strong start to the previous season, winning three of the first two races. However, the team had restrictions in the second half of the season as a result of the high amounts of downforce produced by their hefty side pods, which fed air to the Venturi Tunnel’s underfloor, which improves the car’s straight-line performance. Max Verstappen and company were far more effective with their slippery and aerodynamic car, and that meant Ferrari wasn’t able to put up a decent fight.

Ferrari’s inability to correct these flaws allowed Red Bull to win the championship with relative ease as the Austrian outfit won 17 out of 22 races. Ferrari has apparently been working hard on their aerodynamics over the winters, and the new SF-23 has been designed to give Red Bull a stiff fight.

.Charles Leclerc told motorsports.com after the preseason testing that the new SF23 has been observed, performing well in the straights. The 25-year-old said, ” I think we have a less draggy car, so that should be better this year. But it changed other characteristics. All in line with what we expected, but we still need to find the right set-up for these new characteristics.I expect us to be a little bit quicker in the straights, maybe struggling a little bit more in the corners.”

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Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, both of whom completed a significant amount of running on each day of pre-season testing, have both demonstrated that the SF-23 has a core pace. But we shouldn’t forget that Red Bull still has the upper hand in corners. In light of the aforementioned, Leclerc feels that there is more work to be done.

Charles Leclerc believes there is still work to be done in the Sf-23

Each driver may have tried a variety of driving techniques with their brand-new vehicle over the course of the three testing days. Likewise, Leclerc has also taken advantage of the chance to fully utilize the SF-23. Even despite extensive experimentation, the Ferrari driver still feels that the work is not finished.

As per planetF1.com, he said, “It is a different car, you need to drive it a little bit differently, but that’s what testing is for. I’ve been trying a lot of different driving styles. I seemed to find my way a little bit this morning, finally. But again, as I said, we still have some work to do.”

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Now that preseason testing is done, the drivers may need to buckle up for the most dramatic and exhilarating upcoming F1 season. Having said that, do you think that the top three teams will lock horns until the very last lap of the championship race this season?