New Ferrari signing Fernando Alonso has already hailed their F10 "the best car I've ever had".
Double World Champion hints Ferrari yet to show true pace
After three test sessions spent getting to grips with Ferrari's new F10, Fernando Alonso has labelled it "the best car I've ever had".
The Spaniard, who joined the Scuderia at the end of last season, spent Friday and Saturday putting the car through its paces at Jerez.
Alonso was respectively second and sixth quickest overall on his days in the cockpit, but nevertheless put in some impressive times during his long-distance runs as Ferrari focused on race simulations.
And the 28-year-old former Minardi, Renault and McLaren driver reckons the car performs better than any other he has driven at a similar stage of development.
"There are no reasons to be pessimistic," the double World Champion told the Spanish media. "As of today, this is the best car I've ever had.
Optimistic
"The two days that I tested it was sunny and the track was dry and I could work more than I thought so I'm very happy. We have done a good job in terms of reliability and long runs."
Alonso also hinted that Ferrari have yet to show their true pace on low fuel loads, something he reckons both Red Bull and McLaren have already done.
While Red Bull's Mark Webber set the fastest time on Friday, McLaren's Jenson Button blitzed that on Saturday when he clocked a 1:18.871, the fastest time seen at Jerez this year.
"Red Bull, McLaren and Renault have been very quick and they have shown their cards, while we are still hiding ours," Alonso said.
"We are going to analyse the data, but we are very optimistic. As of today, if I were in a different team I would be looking at Ferrari because everything is going very well.
"Maybe where Ferrari needs to improve is in the short runs with little fuel onboard. That's where the Red Bull and the McLaren have been quicker, and they will be the reference to try and improve the F10 in the next test in Barcelona."
The final group test ahead of the new season takes place at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya between February 25-28.
