In the round-up: Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s tyre management is the best he has ever known it to be.
In brief
Ferrari’s tyre management better than ever – Leclerc
After climbing from eighth to fourth in the Japanese Grand Prix, Leclerc says Ferrari’s tyre management hasn’t been this good at any time since he joined the team in 2019.
“Since I arrived in Ferrari, we always had the tendency of being very fast in qualifying and struggling a lot with tyre management in the race,” he told Viaplay. “It’s for now the most positive beginning of the year I’ve seen in terms of tyre management and just the car being easier.
“It’s not like we, the drivers, are doing something very different to what we were doing in the past. It’s just a car that is in a better place and manages the tyres better. So that is a good sign and it’s encouraging for the rest of the season.”
Leclerc ran third in the latter stages of the race until he was passed by Carlos Sainz Jnr. He said he couldn’t have kept his team mate behind.
“I honestly don’t think we were expecting to have both cars at the same point,” said Leclerc. “We were on different strategies and Carlos was much faster on fresher tyres. There was no real point for me to be fighting him..”
Formula E cancels support series
Formula E’s planned Nxt Gen Cup support series will not go ahead this year due to “unexpected constraints”, the championship has announced. The first round was due to take place alongside this weekend’s double-header at Misano.
The series will put on other entertainments for fans in Italy this weekend. Formula E said it “remains committed to nurturing the next generation of talent through FIA Girls on Track and other impactful initiatives for young people.”
McLaren extends tobacco sponsorship deal
British American Tobacco has renewed its sponsorship of McLaren, which began in 2019. The company, which used F1 to promote its cigarette brands before the European Union’s ban on tobacco advertising came into force in the mid-noughties, now advertises its electronic cigarette and nicotine pouch products on McLaren’s F1 cars and elsewhere. Under the new deal McLaren’s Formula E team will also carry BAT’s logos.
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