Vasseur hails Ferrari progress and says “plenty left to discover”

13:01, 01 Feb

byOlly Darcy

An optimistic Frederic Vasseur said that there are "plenty of things left to discover" for Ferrari after an impressive start to winter testing.

"Overall, it's really early stages, and the most important thing is to be able to complete laps."

- Frederic Vasseur

The first tests of the 2026 season took place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the Scuderia made an early mark, with Lewis Hamilton securing the fastest lap of the week.

The reliability of the brand-new power units that will be used in this campaign was also a positive sign for the Italian team, resulting in many miles completed and valuable data collected, which will be crucial for refining the car before the season starts.

As a result, Vasseur cut a confident figure in Barcelona at the end of a fine week for his team.

Lewis Hamilton during 2026 winter testing in Barcelona - Photo: Ferrari

"We covered tons of laps all over the week, that's good," the Ferrari team principal started by saying at the end of testing in Barcelona.

"It's good to put 160 laps on the board each day, and this is important in order to collect data and to prepare Bahrain in the best conditions.

"Overall, it's really early stages, and the most important thing is to be able to complete laps."

Vasseur seeing constant improvement

The positive start to winter testing for Ferrari will be a huge boost, not least of all after a dismal 2025 season saw them go without a Grand Prix victory.

The second batch of winter testing will take place in Bahrain from February 11-13, and there will be a few tweaks and changes for the Scuderia before they travel to the Middle East.

Those changes between the two testing dates will not worry Vasseur, pointing out the improvements and discoveries found by the team after the week of testing in Barcelona.

Charles Leclerc behind the wheel of the SF-26 - Photo: Race Pictures

"You have so many things to discover for the team on the engine side and on the chassis side," continued Vasseur.

"But also for both drivers, they have the management of the systems, and so that means that each lap, we are probably a bit better.

"It's very demanding for the two drivers because they have to not do a full reset compared to the past, but almost a full reset. It's an important week for them, for sure."

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