Vettel: First impressions of new Ferrari F1 car now confirmed

Sebastian Vettel says his positive first impressions of Ferrari’s 2019 Formula 1 challenger have now been confirmed following the third day of pre-season testing. 

Ferrari made a strong start to the opening test of 2019 as Vettel finished over half a second clear on Monday, before teammate Charles Leclerc kept the Italian team on top on day two. 

Vettel set the third-best time on Wednesday and racked up yet more impressive mileage to take Ferrari’s lap count up to 460 from the first three days alone. 

“It was good to be back in the car today and put some more mileage under my belt,” Vettel explained. 

“Again, we had a busy day and managed to complete our programme, which included a few new items, compared to Monday. 

“We tried a few things around also focusing on set-up and I can only confirm the positive impression I had on day one. 

“Having now put 303 laps in the bag I feel comfortable to say we are satisfied with how the car is progressing.”

After Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat knocked the Scuderia off the top of the timesheets on Wednesday, Leclerc will return to the cockpit of the SF90 on the final day to conclude Ferrari’s programme from the opening test.