Charles Leclerc concerned by repeat of Ferrari tyre woes

Leclerc, Ferrari, Britain — Photo: © LAT Images

British Grand Prix

Leclerc concerned by repeat of Ferrari tyre woes

Ferrari suffered at the French GP and Leclerc is worried of a Silverstone repeat

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Saturday 17 July 2021 12:05

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Charles Leclerc is hoping Ferrari's struggles with its front tyres do not reappear on F1's return to Silverstone this weekend.

The Scuderia endured a torrid French Grand Prix when an inability to manage degradation on the front tyres saw both Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz leave Paul Ricard scoreless.

Ferrari found form again in Austria but Leclerc is concerned that a return to a fast, flowing circuit at the British Grand Prix could halt the team's progress.

"In Austria, we were less strong in qualifying but very strong in the race," said Leclerc.

"Hopefully, here we can be a bit stronger in quali and keep our race pace. Let's not forget Paul Ricard also where we had this front-tyre issue.

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"Silverstone is quite a difficult track for the front tyres so we need to take care of this and hopefully, we would have done a good enough job to avoid these issues for this weekend."

Leclerc looking to build on solid base

Leclerc has at least provided himself with a solid platform on which to build after finishing fourth in Friday qualifying ahead of F1's inaugural sprint race on Saturday.

Although only the top three in the 17-lap sprint score points, Leclerc knows a solid run will put him in a strong position for the grand prix.

"Going into qualifying with so little preparation made things a bit more tricky, but also exciting," added Leclerc.

"We did a good job in maximising the potential of our car. Overall, I felt confident, especially in Q1.

"In Q2, I was not at the level that I wanted to be, but I regained my confidence and pace for the final session, finishing in P4. I think it was the best result we could have hoped for.

"In terms of expectations for the sprint, we have to wait and see. We are all heading into an unknown - to battle it out in the first sprint qualifying in Formula 1.

"We will use FP2 to prepare as well as we can, and give it our all to bring home the best possible result."