Ferrari SF16-H made a good impression on Vettel

With 854 laps completed during winter testing in Barcelona, ​​the Ferrari SF16-H showed encouraging reliability while it features a new Power Unit intended to reduce the performance gap that separates the Team de Mercedes F1.

“The first impression was good and everything that was achieved during these two weeks was very positive”, has reported Sebastian Vettel on the official F1 website. “I had a very good feeling behind the wheel, but it's difficult to talk about performance when comparing it to the opponents. »

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel set the fastest test times at the Catalunya circuit, but the W07 Hybrid has not yet been shod with Pirelli's new ultra-soft tires.

“Our goal was to test this new type of tire. It was very interesting to have a first look with these tires which should be used in one or two races (confirmed by Pirelli at the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix)”, added the four-time world champion.

As for the software problem that affected Mercedes' last day of testing, Sebastian Vettel doesn't blame it after the W07 Hybrid completed more than 1000 laps at the end of the two weeks of testing.

“There are probably a million reasons why there could be a transmission problem these days. This could be from a software failure to a hardware problem. Although it would be very interesting to know the cause, I am sure that they will not do us the pleasure of communicating it. They seem very reliable given the laps they have completed. These problems are normal in testing », recalled the German.

Discover the report of the winter tests in Barcelona in issue 2053 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.