Ferrari wrap up ‘wake-up’ test at Fiorano as Fred Vasseur watches on

Ferrari have finished their mini “wake-up” test at Fiorano as they get back to business ahead of the new season, with Charles Leclerc having completed a day of running at the Scuderia’s test track.

New team principal Frederic Vasseur was watching on as Leclerc racked up 123 laps of their in-house circuit in the 2021 Ferrari SF21, starting out in wet conditions before switching to slicks for his day of running.

Dozens of dedicated fans gathered around the fencing at the borders of the circuit to catch a glimpse of one of their heroes on Thursday, with Leclerc taking over from Sainz after the Spaniard clocked 119 laps of his own on Wednesday.

The Monégasque driver had to start out on wet-weather tyres for his installation lap, but was quickly able to swap for slicks as he completed a 56-lap programme before the team took a lunch break, completing the rest of his test running in the afternoon.

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Test and reserve driver Robert Shwartzman had kicked off the test on Tuesday, with the Scuderia ramping up their preparations ahead of the 2023 campaign by getting some test running under their belts.

Ferrari posted a video on social media after Leclerc had completed his running, with last year’s World Championship runner-up having gone over to greet the fans in attendance to sign flags and throw Ferrari hats over the fence to them as they sang and chanted his name.

Leclerc’s younger brother Arthur was also in the pit garage watching on, as he prepares to take the step up to Formula 2 on his own journey through the Scuderia’s Driver Academy.