Ferrari is in great shape at Monza, claim Sainz and Leclerc

Ferrari have seemingly enjoyed a productive and troublefree opening day on home soil at Monza, with their drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sounding a positive note after two one-hour practice sessions.

Ferrari got through its Friday free practice programme for the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit without encountering any problems.

As from the first hour, the SF-24s were both fitted with the update package introduced this weekend, so that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz would have plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the car in this new configuration, as well as learning about the new track surface and modified kerbs at some of the most iconic corners, including the Ascari chicane.

Reflecting on the opening day, the Spaniard said that the track has significantly changed with the completely new asphalt and tweaksnto the kerbs.

“It was a very busy and interesting Friday. The Monza track has changed quite a lot, with very different kerbs and a new surface.

“For this reason, the challenges and limitations are quite different from previous years and we had to adapt to a new scenario in terms of car setup and understanding tyre degradation.

“There is quite a lot of work to do tonight in order to improve for tomorrow but overall, it was a positive start to the weekend,” concluded the Spaniard.

His team-mate Charles Leclerc povided a positive assessment of his upgraded SF-24, claiming that the car behaved as expected on the fresh asphalt.

“It was quite a positive day overall. Our performance is good, driving the car felt nice and the upgrades we brought to the car are working as expected. Our main focus will now be on balance, as there is still some margin for improvement on that side.

Asked about the challenges for this weekend, the Monegasque added: “The race on Sunday will be tricky for everyone, especially because of the new asphalt, so tyre management will be key.

“We are closer to our competitors than we were in Zandvoort, however, they are still very strong and we will have a lot of competition tomorrow,” concluded Leclerc.