With the principles overhaul, Fred Vasseur admits that mileage would be the focus of the opening ‘closed’ take a look at in Barcelona.
Aside from six – rely ’em 6 – days of pre-season testing in Bahrain in mid-February, the groups are additionally set for a ‘behind closed doorways’ take a look at in Barcelona on the finish of late January.
Coming off the again of its first winless season since 2021, when it nonetheless managed to complete third within the standings, Ferrari heads into the game’s new period heeding the outdated F1 adage of ‘to complete first, first it’s a must to end’.
Aside from the double disqualification in China, the one time the Scuderia did not see the chequered flag was at Zandvoort, the place each drivers crashed out, and once more in Brazil the place each drivers suffered accident harm… if nothing else Lewis and Charles do issues in unison.
Although reliability wasn’t actually a problem with the SF-25, Fred Vasseur is conscious that reliability is important and due to this fact the opening take a look at presents the chance to get as many miles on the clock as doable, important at a time all of the groups (and producers) are getting into the unknown.
“I feel all people will do it,” says the Frenchman. “On this scenario, crucial factor is to get mileage. It is to not chase efficiency. It is to get mileage to validate the technical alternative on the automobile by way of reliability. After which to get efficiency.”
Because it occurs, this yr’s three-day take a look at in Bahrain noticed the Maranello outfit sixth by way of mileage (1,284 miles), simply forward of McLaren (1,281), whereas Mercedes (1,540) topped the desk and Crimson Bull was tenth (1,022).
Ferrari’s 2026 contender can be unveiled on 23 January, adopted by the normal shakedown at Fiorano, nevertheless, the Frenchman admits that the automobile revealed to the accompaniment of pounding rock music and a light-weight present as Charles and Lewis pull again the covers is not going to be the identical as we see in Melbourne and even testing.
“I feel all people will come to Barcelona with, not a mule automobile, however for instance a spec A,” he says.
“We aren’t used to having 9 take a look at days anymore,” he continues. “The final 4 or 5 seasons, we did three. It is a bonus,” he provides, “however it’s additionally a totally completely different program. It signifies that the primary goal in this sort of season is to get the reliability.
“The primary races you had an enormous share of DNFs,” he says of the 2014 guidelines overhaul. “It signifies that the primary focus in Barcelona can be to get mileage with the automobile, to know the reliability of the automobile, the place we’ve to enhance and what we’ve to react. As a result of should you perceive one thing in Bahrain, by the second take a look at, you will not have time to react for Australia.”
Revealing that the automobile will not be totally assembled till 22 January, he admits that the event targets have been “aggressive”.
“Aggressive for positive, as a result of we are going to end the meeting of the automobile the day earlier than the launch,” he says. “The launch would be the twenty third of January in Maranello. It signifies that we’ll end the automobile on the twenty second. And that is aggressive, however all people will do the identical.”
Certainly, it’s already taken as learn that, as has been the case in recent times, most notably this yr’s much-hyped occasion on the O2, that each one we’re actually going to see on the numerous launches is the liveries… and even they’re now topic to alter all through the season.
