Red Bull’s RB20 showed some impressive pace throughout the three days at Sakhir, but the team spent much of its time focusing on shorter stints rather than proper race simulations as many other teams did.
While Ferrari had some encouraging news about the performance of its own SF-24, especially during a strong race sim from Carlos Sainz on the second day, Leclerc remains cautious about reading too much into it.
Ferrari’s deeper analysis of the form of teams over the three days suggested that Red Bull elected not to show its hand and give rivals any clue about what its RB20 can really do.
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Asked by Autosport whether Ferrari’s form in testing offered it a clue about its chances against Red Bull, Leclerc said: “The thing is that Red Bull is one of the only teams that didn't do a full race simulation during the test, which is normally what helps us to understand where we are exactly. So it's very difficult to know where they are.
“We did one. We know where we are obviously, and some of the [other] teams have done some race runs, so we have kind of an idea where they stand. But Red Bull is not the case.
“For now, it's impossible to understand where we are. However, it's a track we have been strong [at] in the past and I hope that we can challenge for the win. And if there's an opportunity, we'll do absolutely everything to take it.”
Source: Autosport