Ruth Buscombe says Ferrari ‘always’ turn their engine up in testing after rapid Charles Leclerc laps

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Charles Leclerc and Ferrari set a scintillating pace on the final day of F1 testing, but Ruth Buscombe has warned that fans shouldn’t necessarily read into it.

Leclerc’s best lap of a 1:31.992 was by far the fastest lap set across the six days in Bahrain. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, second on the overall leaderboard, was the best part of a second back on a 1:32.8.

The Monegasque set multiple laps that were good enough for top spot as Ferrari tested their car in qualifying specification under the lights.

Ferrari set the fastest overall lap time at both pre-season tests for the first time since 2019!

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Lewis Hamilton had set the fastest time in Barcelona during the Shakedown in late January, further intensifying the excitement about Ferrari’s prospects heading into the new season.

Ruth Buscombe expects Ferrari to ‘fall back’ before Australian GP

Damon Hill has said that Ferrari have a habit of chasing headline lap times in testing, a tactic he calls ‘utterly pointless’. While it brings in some positive publicity for a time, it also creates unrealistic expectations.

And Buscombe, who worked for Ferrari as a strategist between 2012 and 2015, has confirmed that Ferrari tend to ‘turn the wick up’ more than their competitors during pre-season. By the time they get to the first race, it therefore looks as if they have ‘fallen back’.

Still, Buscombe is encouraged by the demeanour of Fred Vasseur – her former colleague at Alfa Romeo – and the ‘novel aero innovations’ on the Ferrari. The headline, of course, was the ‘upside-down’ rear wing that briefly appeared on Lewis Hamilton’s car on Thursday.

“We know that the house of Ferrari always turns the wick up, statistically more, than their direct competitors in the Mercedes power units and the Red Bull gang,” Buscombe told F1TV.

“Normally, they do fall back a little bit between testing [and the first race]. That being said, there’s nothing better than to do a great first test.

“Fred nearly cracked a smile. That for Fred, as my old boss, is pretty good. He was joking around.

“Some great novel aero innovations, solid lap times. They’re certainly in that top four pack. I’m not sure if I’d put them P1, but they’re up there.”

Going under the radar made sense for Ferrari – chasing lap times does not

Jolyon Palmer noted that Leclerc was pushing hard during his fastest lap, so it wasn’t just the team who were ramping up their efforts.

Ferrari have made a concerted effort to play down expectations in the media, a sign that they have learned from past mistakes. But turning up the engine would be at odds with this strategy.

Fred Vasseur says Ferrari are going to Australia to win, but acknowledges that Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull will all share the same objective.

If McLaren or Red Bull end up on the third row in Australia, it will be seen as a solid result. But if Ferrari are outside the top four, there will be a collective sigh, and that’s because they raised the bar in testing.

In that sense, perhaps it would have been sensible to take a more conservative approach, just like their rivals.