Italian media scathing on Ferrari testing - 'not on Mercedes' level'

Ferrari

Italian media scathing on Ferrari testing - 'not on Mercedes' level'

The Prancing Horse has faced criticism for their performance in Barcelona

Matthew Bannister

Saturday 22 February 2020 10:15 Updated: 03:22

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Ferrari are not on the same level as Mercedes and Red Bull and problems that occurred in 2019 still exist, Italian media have reported, following the first round of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona.

The Ferrari has suffered a mixed session with various issues befalling the car and while Mercedes and Red Bull emerged with positive vibes, Leo Turrini, writing for Quotidiano, feels that there are few positives for the Prancing Horse to take from the sessions so far.

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He said: “The problems of 2019 have not yet been solved.

"The car suffers from understeer and the performance in a lap is still far from the Mercedes [and Red Bull] level."

Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc struggled to break into the top 10 for lap time classifications and Vettel’s car did not getting anywhere near Valtteri Bottas’ 1.15.732 lap time - the fastest so far.

Meanwhile Mercedes dominated the three-day session, ending the final day in Spain with a one-two of Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

Turrini added: “Next week in Barcelona, Ferrari will make her changes and on the last day she will strive for the best projection of her possible performance."

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