Leclerc says Bahrain FP1–FP2 outcome in Malaysia ‘main talking point’ for Sepang is tyre degradation

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Charles Leclerc set the pace in Friday’s FP2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, following a fourth-place finish in FP1. He also said his overall day at the circuit did not provide a clear answer on Ferrari’s competitiveness, pointing instead to what he believes will matter most when the field turns to race preparation: tyre degradation.

Speaking after the two opening practice sessions, Leclerc said track conditions were “very tricky,” describing the surface as “quite dirty” and “very slippery.” He added that the situation should evolve from Friday to Saturday, even though he felt “quite good with the car.”

Leclerc’s assessment also included a clear order-of-pace reference for Sepang. He stated that Red Bull, in particular, appeared to be “standing out this weekend so far,” citing that the team’s execution in key moments had not looked fully matched on the laps he referenced.

He also highlighted Mercedes as a problem area to interpret. Leclerc said Mercedes was “a bit difficult to understand,” and, while acknowledging their pace earlier in the season and the fact they arrived with an upgrade package for Sepang, warned against assuming they cannot improve quickly after Friday.

On the performance shown by Mercedes in FP2, Leclerc pointed to results that left Ferrari focused on how the chasing pack would shape up. George Russell finished seventh and Kimi Antonelli eighth in FP2, and Leclerc suggested the pair had not produced what he described as a clean soft-tyre lap during the session, implying that Mercedes may be capable of improving once the package is fully understood.

Ferrari’s race-championship plans this weekend will also be shaped by degradation, which Leclerc described as the “main talking point of the weekend” over the radio during FP1. He said Ferrari saw “a lot of degradation” on Friday and argued that, while the team believes it has a “normally quite a good race car,” the margins are tight enough that “a small difference in some corners can make a huge difference in degradation.”

Leclerc said the team made progress across the day—“we learned a lot of things”—but insisted there is still “plenty to work on before Sunday,” with the need to prepare for how the car will behave when the tyres fall off.

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur broadly echoed Leclerc’s focus on degradation and the challenge of getting to grips with the circuit. He said that, over the last five or six weekends, this was the first one where the team was more focused on tyre degradation than other factors, adding that conditions were “a bit extreme” and felt “almost a new track.”

Vasseur said the track grip was “quite poor” on Friday and was expected to improve. He concluded that Ferrari, like the rest of the field, must anticipate the changing conditions and be ready for Saturday’s and Sunday’s workload, emphasizing that there is “a lot to do and a lot to improve.”